A Study on English Translation of Numerals in TCM—Taking Li Zhaoguo’s English Translation Version of Yellow Emperor’s Cannon of Medicine as an Example

Abstract

As traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) gradually enters the international perspective, it is facing new opportunities and challenges, so the translation of Chinese medicine culture becomes more important. TCM classics are the principle part of TCM culture. Among them, numerals occupy a large proportion, and at the same time, numerals are an aspect that translators can easily ignore. Therefore, this article discusses the English translation of TCM numerals. Besides, due to the different cultural backgrounds, there are many non-correspondences between Chinese and English numerals. The meaning of quantifiers in English is single, while the meaning of numerals in Chinese medicine is complicated. It requires that translators should pay attention to numeral translation on the process of translation. Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Medicine has been guiding the development of Chinese medicine. This paper, taking Li Zhaoguo’s translation vision as an example, makes an in-depth analysis of the meaning of numerals, studies the translation methods of translators, and compares Li’s vision numeral processing methods, so as to better apply them to the translation practice of TCM culture.