民国时期物理学名词的统一及留学生的贡献(1920—1934)

清末民初,国内物理学名词的译名非常混乱,这成为近现代物理学在中国快速传播的巨大障碍。从1920年开始,大批归国留学生为审定物理学名词进行了多方面的努力:他们讨论并确定了物理学名词的翻译原则,为审定名词奠定了基础;他们先后主持了科学名词审查会物理组和物理学会名词审查委员会的工作,并陆续编订了《物理学名词(第一次审查本)》《物理学名词汇》和《物理学名词》三部词典。到1934年,在留学生的全面主导下,国内的物理学名词基本上得到了统一,西方物理学在中国的本土化进程因此大大加快了。

The Unity of Physics Terms and Returned Students’ Contribution in Republic of China (1920—1934)

In the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic of China, the translation of physics terminologies was very inconsistent, which became a great obstacle for the rapid spread of modern physics in China. Since 1920, a large number of returned students had made much effort to review and approval the physics terms. They discussed and determined the translation principle of the physics terms, which laid the foundation for unifying physics terminologies. They had presided over the work Physics Group of the General Committee for Scientific Terminology and Terminology Review Committee of Chinese Physical Society, and compiled the Physics Terminologies (First Reviewed Edition), Physical Terminologies Assembly and Physics Terminologies. By 1934, under the leadership of returned students, the physics terms were basically unified and the indigenization process of western physics in China was greatly accelerated.