doi: 10.18178/IJLLL.2015.1.4.47
Analysis of Chinese Chemical Language and Terminology
Hao Chang
- Center for General Education, I-Shou University, Taiwan.
Abstract
The aim of this paper aims is to analyze the Chinese characters used to express the terms and nomenclature - chemical elements, organic and inorganic compounds - often found in the science of chemistry, with a view to better understanding the Chinese cultural mindset underlying this science. Interestingly, most Chinese chemical terms have their origins in a Western worldview of chemistry; yet the former is absolutely different from the latter. Firstly, most Chinese chemical nomenclature are comprised of a single syllable radical character that has no significance. Secondly, the radical of the character that indicates the physical state of the elements and compounds are shown in Western terms. And thirdly, most of the descriptive terms are distinct from Western terminology; some have even been completely misinterpreted.
Keywords
- Chemical terms
- nomenclature
- John Fryer
- Xu Shou
How to Cite
Hao Chang, "Analysis of Chinese Chemical Language and Terminology," International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 246-249, 2015. https://doi.org/10.18178/IJLLL.2015.1.4.47
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2015 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).