“心房”“心室”考

Traceability of“xinfang”and“xinshi”

西方有关人体解剖和血液循环的学说于明末开始传入中国,对于心脏的解剖知识也随之而来。汉语中用来指心脏腔室的“心房”最早见于英国传教士合信的《全体新论》(1851),当时是心脏四腔的统称。后来“心房”传到了日本,意义发生了变化,仅指心脏上面的两个腔室,即atria。下面两个腔室(ventricles),日语用“心室”来指称。20世纪初,日语中的“心房”和“心室”传入汉语。

Western theories about human anatomy and blood circulation began to be introduced into China in the late Ming Dynasty,and the knowledge of heart anatomy was followed.The word“xinfang”in Chinese referring to the heart chambers was first seen in the Quanti Xinlun(Anatomy,1851)by the British missionary Benjamin Hobson,but at that time the word meant the four chambers of the heart.Later,the“xinfang”was transmitted to Japan,i.e.,Shinbō,and its meaning changed,which only refers to the two chambers above the heart,namely atria.The next two chambers,i.e.,ventricles,are referred to in Japanese as Shinshitsu.At the beginning of the 20th century,Shinbōand Shinshitsu in Japanese were introduced into Chinese text.