试论方、剂和方剂的英译

Discussion on Chinese Medicine Formulas and Their Translation

本文通过研究历代代表性中医方书中方剂记载的行文方式,发现在先秦至宋代时期"方"与"剂"是相互独立的概念,而在金元之后"方"的概念被"剂"所指代,由是"方剂"的概念形成。根据这一发现,提出方剂名称英译的二分法:将方剂名称分为"药方名称"与"药剂名称"两部分翻译,并明确二者是主干与从属的逻辑关系。以区分每一首药方和每一种药剂,传递方剂中"方"与"剂"既相互独立又相互联系的内涵,避免译名"方"与"剂"的概念相互混淆,有利于区别不同的方剂和适应未来方剂发展的英译需要。

Through exploring some representative formularies of Chinese medicine in history, it found that a formula and its medicament were conceptually independent to each other before Song Dynasty. Based on this finding, it proposed a new method of formulas translation to distinguish between a formula and its medicaments and distinguish between different formulas. The new translation method can also tell English readers the source formula of each medicament.