A Qualitative Analysis of WHO’s International Standard Terminologies on TCM
Abstract. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is increasingly recognized worldwide as a valuable complementary and alternative medicine. To facilitate global research and collaboration in this field, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the International Standard Terminologies on Traditiona...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Health/LWW
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Chinese Medicine and Culture |
| Online Access: | http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/MC9.0000000000000115 |
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| author | Han LAI Aaron Lee Moore Xiaodan YAN Weihong LI Yang YANG |
| author_facet | Han LAI Aaron Lee Moore Xiaodan YAN Weihong LI Yang YANG |
| author_sort | Han LAI |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is increasingly recognized worldwide as a valuable complementary and alternative medicine. To facilitate global research and collaboration in this field, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the International Standard Terminologies on Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2022. This international terminology translation standard, IST 2022, goes beyond conventional translation by embracing three innovative features: 1) It reflects TCM’s foundational philosophy of unity and opposition, emphasizing the interconnectedness among TCM terms during translation. This approach transcends individual term translations to explore the interrelationships among them. 2) It preserves the integrity of TCM theory by retaining transliterations for unique TCM terms that possess distinct features. 3) It employs innovative xiang (image) cognition, a concept rooted in traditional Chinese thought by helping readers grasp visual and mental imagery associated with each term. This study presents a qualitative analysis based on interviews with 11 TCM translation experts, examining their perspectives on these features and their translational preferences across the IST 2007 and 2022 versions. These findings contribute to the standardization and global harmonization of TCM terminology, advocating for clarity, precision, and the advancement of TCM in the international healthcare arena. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e9ecca0c35da40b991ee28d945f941c3 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2589-9627 2589-9473 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Health/LWW |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Chinese Medicine and Culture |
| spelling | doaj-art-e9ecca0c35da40b991ee28d945f941c32025-08-20T02:16:19ZengWolters Kluwer Health/LWWChinese Medicine and Culture2589-96272589-94732025-03-0181869510.1097/MC9.0000000000000115202503000-00010A Qualitative Analysis of WHO’s International Standard Terminologies on TCMHan LAI0Aaron Lee Moore1Xiaodan YAN2Weihong LI3Yang YANG1 Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China2 Sichuan University, Chengdu 611137, China3 Sichuan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mianyang 621000, China1 Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaAbstract. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is increasingly recognized worldwide as a valuable complementary and alternative medicine. To facilitate global research and collaboration in this field, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the International Standard Terminologies on Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2022. This international terminology translation standard, IST 2022, goes beyond conventional translation by embracing three innovative features: 1) It reflects TCM’s foundational philosophy of unity and opposition, emphasizing the interconnectedness among TCM terms during translation. This approach transcends individual term translations to explore the interrelationships among them. 2) It preserves the integrity of TCM theory by retaining transliterations for unique TCM terms that possess distinct features. 3) It employs innovative xiang (image) cognition, a concept rooted in traditional Chinese thought by helping readers grasp visual and mental imagery associated with each term. This study presents a qualitative analysis based on interviews with 11 TCM translation experts, examining their perspectives on these features and their translational preferences across the IST 2007 and 2022 versions. These findings contribute to the standardization and global harmonization of TCM terminology, advocating for clarity, precision, and the advancement of TCM in the international healthcare arena.http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/MC9.0000000000000115 |
| spellingShingle | Han LAI Aaron Lee Moore Xiaodan YAN Weihong LI Yang YANG A Qualitative Analysis of WHO’s International Standard Terminologies on TCM Chinese Medicine and Culture |
| title | A Qualitative Analysis of WHO’s International Standard Terminologies on TCM |
| title_full | A Qualitative Analysis of WHO’s International Standard Terminologies on TCM |
| title_fullStr | A Qualitative Analysis of WHO’s International Standard Terminologies on TCM |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Qualitative Analysis of WHO’s International Standard Terminologies on TCM |
| title_short | A Qualitative Analysis of WHO’s International Standard Terminologies on TCM |
| title_sort | qualitative analysis of who s international standard terminologies on tcm |
| url | http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/MC9.0000000000000115 |
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