The Lion and the Bald Eagle Entered the Chasm for the Dragon: An Insight into Chinese and Western Views of Cultures and Body via Tiyong Shizhang

This study analyzes the differences between the first Chinese translation of the modern Western physiological text Tiyong Shizhang and subsequent books on similar themes. It examines the modifications—both omissions and additions—made in the Chinese version compared to the original English text. The...

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Main Author: Jiayuan LIANG
Format: Article
Language:zho
Published: Editorial Office of Medicine and Philosophy 2025-02-01
Series:Yixue yu zhexue
Subjects:
Online Access:https://yizhe.dmu.edu.cn/article/doi/10.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.04.14
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author Jiayuan LIANG
author_facet Jiayuan LIANG
author_sort Jiayuan LIANG
collection DOAJ
description This study analyzes the differences between the first Chinese translation of the modern Western physiological text Tiyong Shizhang and subsequent books on similar themes. It examines the modifications—both omissions and additions—made in the Chinese version compared to the original English text. The findings suggest that the involvement of British and American activities in the "translation of Western science into Chinese" during this period carried undertones of "cultural colonization" and "missionary intent". The selection of the term Tiyong (body and its function) in the book's title reflects an effort to introduce the Western "mechanistic view of the body" into China, interpreted from a Western perspective. In the socio-cultural context of the Qing Dynasty, the title embodies a cultural-political metaphor contrasting the "noble Huaxia people" with "vulgar barbarians". However, due to the semantic disparities between Chinese and Western worldviews at the time, the interpretive framework of either side failed to fully capture the dual-layered significance embedded in the title.
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spelling doaj-art-e7edb63422eb4d3f88e294e0b834272b2025-08-20T03:11:40ZzhoEditorial Office of Medicine and PhilosophyYixue yu zhexue1002-07722025-02-01464717510.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.04.144-liangjiayuanThe Lion and the Bald Eagle Entered the Chasm for the Dragon: An Insight into Chinese and Western Views of Cultures and Body via Tiyong ShizhangJiayuan LIANG0Department of History, Peking University, Beijing 100871, ChinaThis study analyzes the differences between the first Chinese translation of the modern Western physiological text Tiyong Shizhang and subsequent books on similar themes. It examines the modifications—both omissions and additions—made in the Chinese version compared to the original English text. The findings suggest that the involvement of British and American activities in the "translation of Western science into Chinese" during this period carried undertones of "cultural colonization" and "missionary intent". The selection of the term Tiyong (body and its function) in the book's title reflects an effort to introduce the Western "mechanistic view of the body" into China, interpreted from a Western perspective. In the socio-cultural context of the Qing Dynasty, the title embodies a cultural-political metaphor contrasting the "noble Huaxia people" with "vulgar barbarians". However, due to the semantic disparities between Chinese and Western worldviews at the time, the interpretive framework of either side failed to fully capture the dual-layered significance embedded in the title.https://yizhe.dmu.edu.cn/article/doi/10.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.04.14tiyong shizhangchinese essence and western utilityimperial cultural colonizationinflected semantics
spellingShingle Jiayuan LIANG
The Lion and the Bald Eagle Entered the Chasm for the Dragon: An Insight into Chinese and Western Views of Cultures and Body via Tiyong Shizhang
Yixue yu zhexue
tiyong shizhang
chinese essence and western utility
imperial cultural colonization
inflected semantics
title The Lion and the Bald Eagle Entered the Chasm for the Dragon: An Insight into Chinese and Western Views of Cultures and Body via Tiyong Shizhang
title_full The Lion and the Bald Eagle Entered the Chasm for the Dragon: An Insight into Chinese and Western Views of Cultures and Body via Tiyong Shizhang
title_fullStr The Lion and the Bald Eagle Entered the Chasm for the Dragon: An Insight into Chinese and Western Views of Cultures and Body via Tiyong Shizhang
title_full_unstemmed The Lion and the Bald Eagle Entered the Chasm for the Dragon: An Insight into Chinese and Western Views of Cultures and Body via Tiyong Shizhang
title_short The Lion and the Bald Eagle Entered the Chasm for the Dragon: An Insight into Chinese and Western Views of Cultures and Body via Tiyong Shizhang
title_sort lion and the bald eagle entered the chasm for the dragon an insight into chinese and western views of cultures and body via tiyong shizhang
topic tiyong shizhang
chinese essence and western utility
imperial cultural colonization
inflected semantics
url https://yizhe.dmu.edu.cn/article/doi/10.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.04.14
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