中国早期物理学名词的审订与统一

中国科技名词的审订和统一，首先为一些来华西方人士所关注。他们在１９世纪晚期至２０世纪初进行了包括物理学名词大内的许多工作。清末学部编译审定的《物理学语汇》，明显受到来自自日本的影响。民国之后，名启审定工作由中国专家学者承担，并得到政府部门和学术组织等的支持。二三十年代，中国科学社、中华教育文化基金董事会、国立编译馆、中国物理学会等机构，曾先后积极组织和进行物理学名词的审订。经过十余年的多次修订，译

REVISION AND UNIFICATION OF PHYSICAL TERMSIN CHINA DURING EARLY MODERN TIMES

Based on gradually formulated translation methods and denomination prin- ciples of scientific and technical terms in Chinese , physical terms were revised and uni- fied in China during early modern times , after they had been translated and denominated for several decades. This paper is intended to review the process and result of revising and unifying physical terms. lt was some Westerners residing in China who first paid attention to the revision and unification of .cientific and technical terms in Chinese. They did a lot of work in this field , including physical terms , thus leading to the publication of the dictionary Technical. Terms, English. and Chinese. in 1904 and its revised edition in 1910. About 1000 entries in the two. editions are physical terms. The first wnrdbook on physical terms in Chinese is Wulixue Yuhui (Physical Voca- bulary ) , edited by the Ministry of Education towards the end of the Qing Dynasty , and published in 1908. The book evidently shows strong influence from Japanese. Among the terms less than 1000 in total , more than two-thirds have same translated names in Chi- nese and Japanese. After the founding of the Republic of China , revision of the terms was undertaken by Chinese specialists under the support of government departments and academic insti- tutions. Wulixue Mingci (Physical Terms , first edition for examination) was worked out by the Science Society of China in 1920. And Wulixue Mingci (Physical Terms , revised and enlarged edition by the Ministry of Education ) was issued in 1931 to Chinese physi- cists at home and abroad and solicited opinions from them. However , the two editions could not be officially published and enforced. Entrusted by the Board of Trustees of the China Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Culture , and by the Chinesc physicists in Beiping (now Beijing) , Prof. Sa Bendong compiled Wulixue Mingci Hui (Collection of Physical Terms) , which was pub- lished in 1932, containing 4166 entries. The Collection. was the most important physical wordbook before one of the same kind was issued officially. Also it affected the examina- tion and revision of physical terms , and even scientific and technical terms then and lat- er Chinese Society of Physics and the National Department for Translation and Compi- lation , both founded in 1932 , actively organized and engaged in the revision of physical terms. The denomination principles for physical terms were clearly determined , and translated names in Chinese of physical terms were examined word by word. ln 1934 , Wulixue Mingci (physical Terms ) with 8206 entries was issued by the Ministry of Edu- cation. Having been revised several times for more than ten years in the 1920s and 1930s , physical terms gradually became scientific and accurate , systematical and standard. By the early 1930s , Chinese physical terms finally got determined and unified on the whole.