Philosophical concepts are an essential component of cultural communication, serving as carriers of a nation’s worldview and intellectual tradition. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of Eugene Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory in the Chinese-English translation of philosophical concepts. Taking Key Concepts in Chinese Thought and Culture: Philosophy as the case study, this research adopts a qualitative analytical method to examine how lexical and syntactic equivalence are realized in translation practice. The analysis reveals that, at the lexical level, strategies such as word class adjustment, isomorphic substitution, and explanatory translation help overcome cultural and semantic gaps. At the syntactic level, the use of kernel sentence restructuring and function-oriented translation effectively clarifies implicit logical relations in Chinese source texts. These approaches enable target readers to achieve a similar understanding and response as source readers. The study concludes that Functional Equivalence Theory provides a practical and effective framework for translating Chinese philosophical concepts, particularly in enhancing clarity, readability, and cultural transmission. However, limitations remain due to the complexity and interpretive openness of philosophical terms.
Metaphor is a key cognitive tool for understanding abstract concepts, with 'sadness' expressions in English and Chinese rich in conceptual metaphors. This study compares 'sadness' metaphors in both languages to reveal commonalities and differences. Traditionally seen as linguistic decoration, metaphors are now viewed, through cognitive linguistics, as fundamental to human thought. Lakoff and Johnson's work suggests metaphors map concrete domains onto abstract ones, shaping our worldview. Emotional metaphors, especially for 'sadness,' of-fer insights into cognitive patterns, cultural traditions, and thinking styles in English and Chinese. Commonalities include metaphors based on physical expe-rience, such as 'SADNESS IS DOWN,' reflecting psychological heaviness. Meta-phors rooted in natural phenomena, like 'SADNESS IS DARKNESS' and 'SADNESS IS COLD,' show shared perceptions of darkness and coldness evoking loneliness and despair. However, differences exist. Culturally, Chinese often uses 'gray' to symbolize sadness, while English associates 'blue' with melancholy. Seasonal imagery also varies, with 'autumn' linked to sadness in Chinese due to decay connotations, but to harvest in English. Cognitively, English expressions like 'heartbroken' emphasize inner turmoil, whereas Chinese phrases such as '肝肠寸断' highlight physical reactions to grief. These reflect cultural emphases: English on individual feelings, Chinese on bodily sensations influenced by traditional medicine. Differences stem from cultural traditions, religious beliefs, and think-ing styles. China's poetic heritage contrasts with Western literature's inner world focus. Religious influences, like Christian divine punishment in English and Buddhist/Taoist ideas in Chinese, further shape 'sadness' metaphors. This study deepens understanding of emotional linguistic expressions and highlights cognitive and cultural divergences, contributing to cross-cultural communica-tion and mutual understanding.
Based mainly on the conceptual metaphor theory of cognitive linguistics, this paper is a study of Chinese and English popular song lyrics with inspirational themes.Based on a self-constructed corpus of Chinese and English songs, this paper summarizes the types of inspirational metaphors in Chinese and English songs, conducts a comparative analysis of conceptual metaphors in Chinese and English inspirational songs, summarizes the similarities and differences, and explores the reasons behind the differences, thus demonstrating the cog-nitive nature of metaphors and enriching the cognitive connotation of meta-phors.
Abstract Background With the increasing incidence of stroke among young and middle-aged individuals, addressing their psychological well-being has become a critical concern. Negative emotional states such as depression, anxiety, and conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can hinder recovery and increase the risk of recurrence. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a meta-synthesis of qualitative research on post-traumatic growth (PTG) in this population, examining the factors that contribute to PTG, its developmental trajectory, and the coping mechanisms involved. Methods A systematic search of 14 databases was conducted, with reference tracking, to ensure comprehensive literature retrieval. A total of 1,753 articles were initially identified. After removing duplicates and excluding articles that did not meet the criteria, 11 studies were included, involving 156 participants in total, with 5 studies conducted in China and the remaining from other regions. The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) approach: systematic search with predefined criteria, critical appraisal of study quality using the JBI Checklist (assessing rigor in data collection/analysis), and meta-synthesis via iterative theme development (coding, categorizing findings) and validation (cross-checking by reviewers) to derive integrated results. Results A total of 42 research findings were synthesized into 9 new categories, further grouped into 3 integrated results: (1) trauma and stress period, which includes physical, psychological, and social stress; (2) adjustment and reconstruction period, involving seeking support, cognitive processing, self-mobilization, and life reorganization; and (3) growth period, characterized by new possibilities and self-actualization. Limitations The limited time frame of the studies and the predominance of research from China (5 out of 11 included studies) may restrict the generalizability of the findings. Excluding non-English and non-Chinese studies introduces a potential language bias. Furthermore, as the review only included qualitative studies with generally small sample sizes (total 156 participants), the findings should be interpreted with caution. Conclusion This meta-synthesis is the first to systematically synthesize qualitative evidence on PTG in young and middle-aged stroke patients, offering a novel three-stage framework (trauma and stress, adjustment and reconstruction, growth) that integrates physical, psychological, and social dimensions of recovery. By clarifying distinct emotional, cognitive, and behavioral features at each stage, this study advances existing research—previously fragmented in exploring PTG elements—by providing a holistic developmental trajectory. In clinical practice, this framework informs targeted interventions (e.g., stage-specific emotional support, cognitive guidance, and social reintegration strategies) to facilitate PTG and enhance patients’ reintegration into society.
Mengzi Mozi-ről és Yang Zhu-ról beszélve azt mondja: „ezek a gonosz állítások győzködik a népet, s azt szolgálják, hogy akadályozzák az emberségesség (ren 仁) és méltányosság (yi 義) erényét”, és „Yang hívei csak önmagukkal törődnek (weiwo 為我)” (Mengzi IIIB14). Ennek alapján támadja a kínai hagyomány Yang Zhu-t. Egyetlen szövegrészben szerepel Yang Zhu személyével kapcsolatban ez a kulcsterminusának tekinthető weiwo 為我, amelyet a sinológiában az „egoista”, „önző”, „hedonista” címkékkel illetnek, ám amelyek nyugati fogalmak, és a kínai gondolkodás vizsgálatában értelmezhetetlenek. Yang Zhu sem egyik sem másik nem volt, hanem kulcsfontosságú újítása a kínai szemléletmódban a „test [shen 身] felfedezése”, az ember személy (shen 身) voltának, és így saját maga feletti rendelkezésének hirdetése volt. Tanítását nem véletlenül támadják mind a konfuciánusok, mind a motisták, mind később a legisták, hiszen az a Zhuangzi-vel rokon követelménye, hogy az „égalatti” irányítása értelmetlen és felesleges törekvés, így szükségtelen, mert az életet a maga hétköznapiságában érdemes leélni. Nézete szerint a valóságban a kisközösségi-családi élet szférája és a mindennapi élet kell elsőbbséget élvezzen. Ezért minden konfuciánus és motista mérce alapvetően téves az egyes ember saját igényei szerint. Kiemelkedően fontos gondolata-tanácsa a Yang Zhu-nak az ember saját maga által kívánt élet vitele, ezért annak a „hírnév”-vel (ming名) való összeegyeztethetetlenségét hirdeti. A „hírnév” szerepének az elit számára kiemelkedő fontossága kapcsán Yang Zhu álláspontja élesen szemben áll a konfuciánus követelménnyel, mert ő annak elérését nemkívánatosnak tekinti.
A tanulmány szerzőjének – az eredeti források alapján nyert – megállapítása az, hogy a „jangizmus” irányzata valójában nem létezett, az értelmezések a modern kínai megközelítés és az európai sinológia elhibázott értelmezései. Yang Zhu valójában magányos gondolkodója az ókori kínai bölcseletnek. szemben állt mind a konfuciánusoknak az elitre alapozó, mind a motistáknak a közembereket a társadalomszervezésbe bevonni kívánó nézeteivel, azáltal, hogy kritizálva mindkét ideologikus útmutatást, az emberi élet alapadottságait tekintette mérvadónak. Ennek az életvezetési ’modellnek’, amely, eltérően a többi irányzattól, nem fejtett ki rendszerszerű tanítást, nem lehetett hosszútávú hatása az ókori kínai bölcseletben.
BackgroundNeonatal hyperbilirubinemia (NH) is a common phenomenon for neonate inpatients, and Yinzhihuang (YZH) injection is a well-known Chinese herbal formula for the treatment of NH. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of YZH injection on NH.MethodsA comprehensive literature search was performed in four Chinese databases [China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature (CBM), China Science Journal Database (VIP), and Wan Fang ] and four English language databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EMbase and the Cochrane Library) from inception to 16 April 2024. Randomized controlled trials on YZH injection for NH were collected. Review Manager 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis and bias risk assessment.ResultTwenty-two trials involving 2,714 neonates were included. Significant differences were detected between YZH injection group and control group for total effective rate (RR = 1.15, 95%CI: 1.11 to 1.20, p < 0.00001), serum bilirubin level (the third day, MD = −36.80, 95%CI: −52.07 to −21.53; the fifth day, MD = −4.18, 95%CI: −7.50 to −0.86, p < 0.00001), and time to jaundice resolution (MD = −2.46, 95%CI -2.81 to −2.10, p < 0.00001). Adverse effects of YZH injection were described in four trials, with an incidence of 8.60%.ConclusionThe use of YZH injection as an adjuvant to NH appears to be safe and may offer superior benefits compared to routine treatment alone for NH. However, these potential benefits require confirmation in future trials employing rigorous methodology. The current evidence is not enough to recommend YZH injection as a routine treatment for NH.Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/), identifier, CRD42024556811.
Logographic language and alphabetic language differ significantly in orthography. Investigating the commonality and particularity of visual word recognition between the two distinct writing systems is informative for understating the neural mechanisms underlying visual word recognition. In the present study, we compared the chronometry of early lexical processing and the brain regions involved in early lexical processing between Chinese (logographic language) and Mongolian (alphabetic language) by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) using both implicit and explicit reading tasks. Familiar Chinese one-character words (lexical) and unknown Chinese one-character words (non-lexical) were pseudorandomly presented to native Chinese readers in Experiment 1. Mongolian words (lexical) and pseudowords (non-lexical) were pseudorandomly presented to native Mongolian readers in Experiment 2. In the color decision task, participants were asked to decide the color (black or blue) of each stimulus. In the lexical recognition task, participants were asked to report whether they could recognize each stimulus. The results showed that in both experiments and both tasks, ERPs to lexical items differed significantly from those to non-lexical items in the parietooccipital scalp region approximately 250 ms after stimulus onset, reflecting the early lexical processing, which likely originated from the ventral occipitotemporal cortex as revealed by source analysis. These results indicated that although Chinese and Mongolian differed markedly in orthographic features, the neural mechanisms underlying early lexical processing are similar between the two languages.
Background For a long time, the traditional view regarded metaphor as merely a rhetorical device that served to enrich linguistic expression. With the continuous development of cognitive linguistics, foreign language educators began to realize the vital role of metaphor in foreign language education. Objectives This study looked at how well pedagogical interventions improve metaphorical competence by looking at how well teachers teach metaphors. Methods After a rigorous literature search and selection process from the Chinese and English databases, 13 Chinese and 7 international studies with 51 effect sizes were included in this meta-analysis. With the help of the meta-analysis 3.0 software, the literature and heterogeneity tests were performed to ensure that the meta-analysis results were as accurate and valid as possible. Results The effect size tests revealed that the metaphorical instructional intervention was significantly effective in general and produced a large effect size (d = 0.888) on improving learners' metaphorical abilities. Meta-regression analyses were also conducted to examine how other factors might change the effects of the interventions. Findings Research has shown that instructional interventions that combine prolonged input of metaphorical concepts with reinforcement of metaphorical practice can help second language learners develop metaphorical competence. Teaching puts more pressure on teachers and the learning environment, and the results of this study could help teachers teach metaphors in the future.
There has been much research into teacher beliefs about teaching and learning as seen in the general teacher education literature. In the field of language teacher education, this line of research has been evolving, with the recent trend being streamlined into “teacher cognition” as a generic or umbrella term. Despite increasing amounts of research output so far, research into foreign language teachers’ cognitions about their own teaching and decision-making is still insufficient, particularly with regard to university-level English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers in China. Drawing on Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, this qualitative research focused on EFL teachers’ cognitions about form-focused instruction in Chinese university settings. It intended to discover how teachers’ cognitions changed when they were expected to teach in actual classrooms and what factors contributed to these changes. Data collected from four teacher-participants through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and follow-up stimulated recall interviews showed participants’ support for focus-on-form instruction, which means they not only paid attention to the grammatical form of the language but also to the meaning it is intended to convey. However, data also showed that the teacher-participants shifted from focus-on-form to focus-on-formS instruction in actual teaching, which suggests that they might have realized the challenges of carrying out teaching activities surrounding focus-on-form and would like to take an easier approach by only teaching the grammar of the language by focusing on formS. Such incongruences are interpreted with reference to a plethora of sociocultural factors including traditional Chinese thinking and institutional expectations. The implications of the findings for stakeholders in universities, including faculty members, students, and curriculum developers in similar contexts, are also discussed.
: Language is our primary source of communication. It's the method through which we share our ideas and thoughts with others. In order to communicate effectively, one needs a language that is widely understood and is common. Over the years, English has become that sort of language. It is the language most commonly used and understood almost by everyone. So it is easier to communicate in English as it is the best way to express ourselves. In the present age, it has become even more of a medium of almost communication because it is the language of the Internet and the computer. As of 2020 there are 1.27 billion English speakers around the world. This makes it the most spoken language, ahead of Mandarin Chinese (1.12 billion speakers) and Hindi (637 million speakers). More than 50 countries officially list English as an official language. Globalisation is the process by which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected as a result of massively increased trade and cultural exchange. Globalisation has increased the production of goods and services. For both native speakers and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) speakers, strong communication in English involves four modes: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Different people have naturally differing aptitudes for these skills. This paper has attempted to analyse the importance of communication in English language and the significance of globalisation and English language.
In her much-discussed book The World Republic of Letters, Pascale Casanova pre sents a formulation of world literary space as a global hierarchical complex of national literatures, a space at once divided by competition on the part of national literatures for domination and unified by the transnational and translingual movements such competition unleashes. Casano va begins her narrative of the international literary order with the rise of French, rather than Latin, as the language of culture and refinement, locating the complex's geocultural center in Paris. Her for mulation of world literary space has no room for an explanation of national literatures whose com mon objective was to achieve liberation from the authority of any other language, namely classical Chinese?an East Asian equivalent of Latin?or for the theoretical possibility of another republic of letters independent from her Eurocentric model. Literatures of East Asian nations would seem to her no more than an instance of what she calls the
Abstract Initial teacher preparation and teachers’ continuing professional development are two significant pillars of the teacher education enterprise. The former encompasses a wide range of teacher-education initiatives at the levels of diploma, bachelor’s degree, postgraduate diploma, and even master’s degree for teacher licensure purposes. These are widely documented in the literature. What is important is how teacher professional development contributes to bolstering the teacher-educator force, which is relatively insufficiently documented due to the very fact that different educational systems have somewhat different expectations of such programs in relation to the ideologies and theories underpinning the teacher professional development program design and curriculum offering. Taking stock of a postgraduate diploma program in English language teaching (PGDELT) for teachers’ continuing professional development with a 31-year history housed at a premier teacher education institution in Singapore, which has successfully graduated over 1, 000 English language teachers for colleges and universities in China, I intend to highlight some of its key features, as a former student and then a lecturer on the program, in order to draw implications for sustainable growth of language teacher education programs, especially those whose main purposes are to prepare teachers of English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) and provide continuing professional development opportunities for such inservice teachers.
Objective: To conduct a literature review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the use of acupuncture for hot flashes to analyze the characteristics of each study, draw a conclusion on the advantages and disadvantages of previous studies and provide the suggestions for future studies on the same topic. Methods: We searched English and Chinese databases for the literature published from 2009 to 2019 restricted in the English and Chinese language, and we included RCT using acupuncture as the main observational intervention for hot flashes by the criteria. Results: Twenty studies met our eligibility criteria. All the studies were of high quality and confirmed the clinical efficacy of acupuncture for hot flashes, although they used different controlled interventions. The acupuncture treatment and theory of acupoints selection were relatively consistent among the studies, and they had close trial designs. Conclusions: These RCTs on acupuncture were nonuniform, which made the studies on this topic lack coherence, leading to unsatisfactory research outcomes. Therefore, more professional research teams are needed to perform studies on a definite topic and draw a specific conclusion to previous studies before the next step is taken.
Sinhala is the native language of the Sinhalese people who make up the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. The language belongs to the globe-spanning language tree, Indo-European. However, due to poverty in both linguistic and economic capital, Sinhala, in the perspective of Natural Language Processing tools and research, remains a resource-poor language which has neither the economic drive its cousin English has nor the sheer push of the law of numbers a language such as Chinese has. A number of research groups from Sri Lanka have noticed this dearth and the resultant dire need for proper tools and research for Sinhala natural language processing. However, due to various reasons, these attempts seem to lack coordination and awareness of each other. The objective of this paper is to fill that gap of a comprehensive literature survey of the publicly available Sinhala natural language tools and research so that the researchers working in this field can better utilize contributions of their peers. As such, we shall be uploading this paper to arXiv and perpetually update it periodically to reflect the advances made in the field.
ABSTRACT Unlike other groups of international students, Chinese speakers’ use of English names while studying in English is an established norm. Relatively little discussion of the practice has taken place within recent literature, and less attention still has been paid to the minority of Chinese-speaking students who do not adopt English names. The choice of name used during classroom interaction is, though, both significant and meaningful, symbolising the social and cultural membership a person would like to evoke and impacting on student-teacher relationships. This article reports on a survey into the use of English names by Chinese speakers, which was completed by 330 Chinese-speaking students at UK universities – 255 of whom had adopted English names, 75 of whom had not. Survey responses reveal why and how decisions to/not to adopt English names are made. Interview data is then presented from discussions with eight Chinese-speaking students based in the UK who do not use English names. They explain why and describe their experiences of being a minority among Chinese-speakers studying in English.
This paper examines the literature of second language learning in study abroad (SA) contexts that connect classroom learning and local community contact, and reviews the development process of having students learn in the local community by a Chinese language program in a large U.S. research university, and introduces a collection of 94 Field Performance Tasks (FPTs). The paper shows that consistently doing FPTs can increase learners’ participation in the Chinese cultural environment and boost their confidence in talking to native speakers, and thus is a meaningful contribution towards linking classroom learning with language contact in the community in a second language learning environment. Data from the 94 field-tested FPTs is presented and analyzed, and continuing development for future use is also addressed.
Education (General), Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar
The concept of ethical consumption has garnered considerable attention in recent years. Yet, it remains somewhat ‘mystical’ in the existing Western literature. The present unique cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary study offers clarification on the conception of ethical consumption from three aspects: First, this paper reflects on the nature of the concept of ethical consumption and identifies its relatively large common core as an open-textured, ‘naturalistic’ concept; conceptualizing the ideal of ethical consumption in virtue ethical language. Second, this paper secures a firmer grounding for the concept of ‘ethical consumption’ within virtue ethics by linking it theoretically to a Confucian form of virtue ethics. We support this interpretation with empirical evidence, gleaned through focus-group discussions and individual interviews with consumers, undergoing fast-changing dynamics, from an urban-rural fringe from China: a culture already immersed in lay virtue ethical thinking, inspired by Confucius. Third, the paper brings the data back to theory by eliciting from the data a structural framework of the foci of the underlying virtues making up the virtue of ethical consumption, on our respondents’ understanding, and reflecting upon how this new theoretical understanding may advance the academic discourse on ethical consumption and expand the understandings of ethical consumption from a cross-cultural perspective. We explore notions such as virtue patriotism and filial piety that contribute to the diversity of the conception of ethical consumption. We explain how those virtues play a role in Chinese understandings of ethical consumption, contributing to the global diversity of the concept. This study does not claim to represent the complete truth about Chinese consumers’ views on ethical consumption, considering the geographic constraints and the small number of participants. However, it does offer some salient insights into Chinese consumers’ understanding of ethical consumption, which is grounded in their daily practices and reflects their consumer motivations; hence, enriching the global business ethics discourse on ethical consumption.