ArticleTranslation Theories and Skills http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.12.018
A Study on the English Translation Norms of Pathomechanism Terms in Huangdi Neijing from the Perspective of Descriptive Translation Studies—A Comparative Analysis of Three English Versions
Jiarou Cao, Mengjia Peng*
School of International Communication, Wuhan Business University, Wuhan 430056, Hubei, China.
*Corresponding author: Mengjia Peng
Project supported by the Innovation Training Program for College Students of Wuhan Business University (No. 202511654217: "Smart Inheritance of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Corpus Construction and New Media Com-munication").
Published: December 31, 2025
Abstract
As a core TCM classic, Huangdi Neijing’s pathomechanism terms, characterized by abstraction and cultural embeddedness, are critical to TCM’s global communication amid internationalization and WHO-led terminology standardization. Previous studies, however, rely on prescriptive “faithfulness” criteria and lack empirical analysis of translators’ contextual choices. Grounded in Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS), this paper adopts an objective empirical approach and constructs a TCM-Pathomechanism Parallel Corpus (80,000–100,000 Chinese characters) from four pathomechanism-focused chapters of Suwen. Controlling for ancient Chinese interpretation differences via a unified vernacular source text, it analyzes 38 core terms in three representative English translations (Li Zhaoguo, Wiseman & Feng, Unschuld). Quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal distinct translational norms: cultural output (Li), terminological systematization (Wiseman), and Western textual research (Unschuld). The study verifies the explicitation hypothesis in translating abstract concepts (e.g., Xu-Shi, Yu-Jie) and identifies tension between standardization and contextualization. It enriches DTS application in professional classical translation and provides empirical support for international TCM terminology standardization, facilitating high-quality TCM cross-cultural communication.
Keyword
Huangdi Neijing; Pathomechanism Terms; Descriptive Translation Studies; TCM Translation; Terminology Standardization
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How to cite this paper
A Study on the English Translation Norms of Pathomechanism Terms in Huangdi Neijing from the Perspective of Descriptive Translation Studies—A Comparative Analysis of Three English Versions
How to cite this paper: Jiarou Cao, Mengjia Peng. (2025). A Study on the English Translation Norms of Pathomechanism Terms in Huangdi Neijing from the Perspective of Descriptive Translation Studies—A Comparative Analysis of Three English Versions. Translation and Foreign Language Learning, 1(5), 855-860.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.12.018