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Article published In: Terminology
Vol. 31:2 (2025) ► pp.311–334

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Pruning translation of logical and accidental polysemy in traditional Chinese medicine terminology

ORCiD logo with link | Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
Published online: 14 February 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/term.24007.hou
Abstract
Excessive and arbitrary polysemy within traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) terminology presents a notable challenge to both the intralingual standardization of TCM terms and the interlingual development of a TCM knowledge system. This article categorizes polysemy in TCM based on the origins and relationships of the various senses of a polysemous term: Inherent polysemy, where terms retain their ordinary senses; logical polysemy, which includes both ordinary and technical senses; and accidental polysemy, characterized by exclusively technical senses. For addressing logical and accidental polysemy, this article proposes “pruning translation,” a methodology in terminology translation that refines and aligns a term closely with its original form by reducing multiple senses to its most essential meanings for enhanced clarity and precision. Three approaches, namely “centralization” for an underspecification account, “aggregation” for an overspecification account, and “literal translation” for literalism, are employed to demonstrate the application of pruning translation. This is exemplified through an analysis of five polysemous TCM terms: mào (冒), qīng (清), mài (脉), guǐ tāi (鬼胎), and xià xiè (下泄). The rationale for pruning translation stems from two key aspects: Firstly, the generation of polysemy, highlighting the need to eliminate context-dependent, unrecognized, or superficial senses for accurate cross-lingual translation; secondly, the representation of polysemy, supported by psycholinguistic evidence indicating that multiple senses in one language can often be effectively represented by a single lexical form in another, facilitating the consolidation of senses into a unified translation. This proposed methodology of pruning translation represents an innovative approach in the translation of polysemous TCM terminology, contributing to the field of terminology translation.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Classification of polysemy in TCM terminology
  • 3.Techniques of pruning translation
    • 3.1Centralization
    • 3.2Aggregation
    • 3.3Literal translation
  • 4.Rationale for pruning translation
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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