magazinelogo

Translation and Foreign Language Learning

ISSN Online: 3069-0315 ISSN Print: 3070-3077 CODEN:
Frequency: monthly Email: tfll@hillpublish.com
Total View: 333032 Downloads: 77165 Citations: 8 (From Dimensions)
ArticleInterdisciplinary Studies of Translation http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.12.024

A Comparative Study of the International Academic Images of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture over the Past 15 Years

Haining Ma

School of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong, China.

*Corresponding author: Haining Ma

Published: December 31, 2025

Abstract

This study compares the international academic images of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture over 2011-2025 using corpus-assisted discourse analysis approach. Two corpora are constructed based on the CHM and acupuncture research articles from the Web of Science Core Collection. It is found: CHM research follows a laboratory-based reductionist paradigm evolving from extraction studies to network pharmacology with a multidimensional image marked by traditional heritage, natural origins, and complementary positioning; acupuncture research is predominantly clinical and evidence-based, with a non-sequential trajectory and an image dominated by efficacy, safety, and adjunctive positioning. These differences can be explained by three main factors: unique discursive practices, differential pandemic impact, and intrinsic modality traits. This study presents strategic implications for the international academic promotion of CHM and acupuncture as well as empirical data for comprehending their differing academic representation.

Keyword

Corpus-assisted discourse analysis; Chinese herbal medicine; Acupuncture; Academic image; Comparative study

References

Baker, P., Gabrielatos, C., Khosravinik, M., Krzyżanowski, M., McEnery, T., & Wodak, R. (2008). A useful methodological synergy? Combining critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics to examine discourses of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK press. Discourse & Society, 19(3), 273-306. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926508088962

Eigenschink, M., Dearing, L., Dablander, T. E., Maier, J., & Sitte, H. H. (2020). A critical examination of the main premises of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift, 132(9), 260-273. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00508-020-01625-W

Pan, J. J. (2024). Construction of TCM institution image: A corpus-based comparative critical discourse study of Chinese and Western mainstream media reports. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 11(8), 312-325. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.118.17494

Pan, J. J. (2025). International academic representation of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the post-COVID-19 era: A corpus-based exploration. Frontiers in Communication, 10, 1503708. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1503708

Pan, J. J., & Zhu, W. Z. (2024). A study of international TCM academic image in the past decade (2014-2023). Shandong Foreign Language Teaching, 45(5), 36-48.

Partington, A., Duguid, A., & Taylor, C. (2013). Patterns and meanings in discourse: Theory and practice in corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS). John Benjamins.

Qin, F. Y., & Chen, S. J. (2025). A corpus-assisted discourse analysis on constructing the global image of Traditional Chinese Medicine. International Journal of Linguistics, 17(5), 41-57. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v17i5.22918

Song, R. M., & Zhang, F. (2023). A study of the image of acupuncture in American mass media based on COCA. Industrial & Science Tribune, 22(15), 64-67.

Sun, D., Xia, S. J., & Tai, D. M. (2025). Media image of Traditional Chinese Medicine culture based on the Global News Corpus. World Chinese Medicine, 20(5), 770-776. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1673-7202.2025.05.009

Xu, J. J. (2019). Corpus linguistics and discourse analysis. Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.

Zhang, D. Z., & Luo, J. W. (2023). Image construction of Traditional Chinese Medicine in international communication: A corpus-based study of English online media reports. Shanghai Journal of Translators, 5, 24-29.

Copyright

© 2025 by the author(s).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not modified or adapted.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

How to cite this paper

A Comparative Study of the International Academic Images of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture over the Past 15 Years

How to cite this paper: Haining Ma. (2025). A Comparative Study of the International Academic Images of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture over the Past 15 Years. Translation and Foreign Language Learning1(5), 888-892.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.12.024