Characteristics and translation of metaphorical language in traditional Chinese medicine texts

Chen' Ko ORCID: 0009-0004-6334-8351 Postgraduate student; Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Philology; Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba 10-2a Miklukho-Maklaya str., Moscow, 119361, Russia kuo.chen@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction

With China's growing international influence on the world stage, China's traditional culture is also receiving more and more attention and recognition from countries around the world, and traditional Chinese medicine, as an important part of China's excellent traditional culture, is also receiving attention from countries around the world.

Thanks to the development of cognitive linguistics, metaphor was perceived as the basis of human thinking. In the vast sea of traditional Chinese medical texts, metaphors in the language of Chinese medicine are like a bright pearl, radiating unique charm and wisdom. These metaphors are not only important carriers of the theory and practice of TCM, but also vivid embodiments of traditional Chinese culture.

The metaphorical language in traditional Chinese medical texts has distinctive characteristics. It is often imaginative, vivid and imaginative in order to make abstract and complex medical concepts concrete and tangible, to explain complex human physiology, pathological phenomena, treatment methods, etc. These metaphors not only contain deep cultural connotations, but also vividly reflect the way of thinking and cognitive approach of TCM. This form of language is able to deeply convey deep medical knowledge, as well as give a poetic flavor to knowledge about Chinese medicine.

However, it is precisely its uniqueness and cultural characteristics that pose a big problem for translation. An accurate translation of this metaphorical language is essential to facilitate the international dissemination and exchange of TCM. This not only concerns whether the subtleties of TCM can be accurately conveyed to the whole world, but also affects the understanding and acceptance of TCM in different cultures.

This article examines in detail the characteristics of the metaphorical language in traditional Chinese medical texts, analyzes the cultural significance and logic of thinking underlying them, and searches for appropriate translation strategies and methods to build a bridge between Chinese medicine and the world so that the ancient wisdom of Chinese medicine can flourish in new glory in the world.

The main materials of this work are classical works on Chinese medicine: such as "Huang Di nei-ching" ("The Yellow Emperor's Treatise on the Inner"), "Shang han tzu bin lun" ("A treatise on various feverish conditions caused by cold", etc., which contain a large number of expressions with metaphors, as well as theoretical studies of Chinese medicine: a number of books specializing in the study of Chinese medicine theories and language features. The metaphorical expressions in the above-mentioned traditional Chinese medical texts are mainly interpreted and the translation of the metaphorical language using traditional Chinese medical theories as a guide is investigated.

The result and their discussion

T. V. Zherebilo in his dictionary of linguistic terms gives the following definition: "Metaphor [transfer]. Transfer of the name from one object (phenomenon, action, feature) to another based on their similarity" ^{[3, p. 192]}. In the wonderful world of language, metaphor is a mysterious and fascinating bridge connecting various conceptual and cognitive areas. Metaphorical language, like a carefully choreographed performance, deftly connects seemingly unrelated things with each other, causes people to have a new understanding and perception of the world, imperceptibly flows into our daily communication, literary creativity, scientific discussions and other spheres, giving language endless charm and depth.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as a traditional medical system with a long history, contains rich and unique linguistic expressions in its theory and practice. Among them, metaphorical language, like a bright pearl, runs through all aspects of Chinese medicine. Metaphorical language in traditional Chinese medicine is not only a stylistic means, but also an important tool used by TCM doctors to develop complex medical concepts, uncover the secrets of the human body and describe pathophysiological phenomena. Due to his imagery, vividness and deep meaning, he gives the theories of Chinese medicine a special charm and vitality. Metaphorical language can be found everywhere in Chinese medical texts, it deftly connects classical Chinese philosophy, natural phenomena and objects of everyday life with internal organs, qi and blood, meridians of the human body, creating a unique cognitive system. Through in-depth study of these metaphorical languages, people can better understand the following characteristics of the metaphorical language of Chinese medicine and appreciate the deep heritage of Chinese medical culture:

1. Deep cultural connotation: The metaphorical language in the TCM texts is closely related to traditional Chinese culture, embodying unique philosophical thoughts and cultural concepts.

If the outstanding traditional Chinese culture is compared to a large tree, then classical Chinese philosophy and traditional Chinese medicine are undoubtedly its important branches. Confucianism and Taoism in classical Chinese philosophy had a profound impact on Chinese civilization, as well as on the philosophical foundations of Chinese medicine, medical ethics and style, and the management system, and it can be said that the theoretical system of Chinese medicine was actually developed on the basis of classical Chinese philosophy. For example, yin and yang and the five elements in TCM were originally ancient Chinese philosophical concepts that were later used in TCM to explain the structure, physiology and pathology of the human body, as well as to guide clinical diagnosis and treatment. A large number of philosophical terms have entered the language of Chinese medicine, and at the same time, during a long historical process and in a unique cultural environment, Chinese medicine has developed its own special way of expression, which, according to cognitive linguistics, is understood as a metaphor. Metaphor is not only a linguistic phenomenon, but also an important cognitive way and means of Chinese medicine, reflecting its unique knowledge of the human body, diseases and treatment methods, as well as its typical cultural characteristics, reflecting its unique cultural experience and social cognition. For example, in the Yellow Emperor's Treatise on the Inner, the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth) in Taoism are used to correspond to the five human organs, with the liver referring to wood, the heart to fire, the spleen to earth, the lungs to metal, and the kidneys to water. The heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys are the object of the metaphor, and metal, wood, water, fire and earth are an arbitrary component of the metaphor, then the metaphorical basis is common to both, for example, there is a main source of water in the kidney, the substance of the sensations of the north is preserved-accumulates, and has the property of "water" nutrition and preservation, therefore, the kidney refers to "water" ^[12].

2. Imagery: the ability to express abstract and complex medical concepts in an intuitive and understandable way. The metaphorical language in traditional Chinese medical texts has a strong imagery, which manifests itself in the following aspects: first, abstract medical concepts and theories are often expressed using concrete and tangible images. For example, the natural world "wind" is used as a metaphor for some diseases that are characterized by great variability and are as unpredictable and wandering as the wind ^{[12, p.358]}. "The heart in the body performs the function of a ruler. The light of the Power of Consciousness comes from the heart"^{[10, p. 39]}. The heart is considered as the ruler of the body, as a "country", emphasizing the dominant position of the heart in the internal organs of the human body. Secondly, the physiological and pathological phenomena of the human body can be visually depicted using figurative and metaphorical language. For example, the work of qi and blood in the twelve meridians is metaphorically described as a flow of water, so that people can intuitively understand the state of qi and blood work, as well as problems that may arise. Thirdly, metaphorical language can clearly illustrate the methods and principles of treatment in Chinese medicine. For example, expressions such as "扶正祛邪- Strengthening the body's resistance in order to eliminate pathogenetic factors", in which the positive qi of the human body is considered as a force of justice, and the evil qi as an invading enemy, clearly illustrate the principle of reflecting disease and evil by strengthening one's own positive qi. Figurative and metaphorical language makes TCM texts more infectious and expressive, helps doctors better understand and remember complex medical knowledge, and also reflects the unique way of thinking of TCM, which is closely related to nature and society ^[12].

3. Polysemy: The main reason for the polysemy of metaphors in traditional Chinese medicine texts is that the same metaphor may have a different extension of meaning in different texts or discourses, and different doctors or schools of medicine may interpret metaphors according to their own understanding and experience when applying metaphors, giving them new connotations, which leads to a further increase in the meanings of metaphors. For example, the concept of "Qi" can represent the driving force of vital activity, the true, correct Qi energy of the human body, or it can denote a certain pathological condition associated with stagnation of Qi, reverse movement of qi (upward), etc., and its meaning is rich and diverse. On the one hand, the polysemy of metaphor enriches the connotation and expression of TCM theories, but on the other hand, it creates certain problems for accurate understanding and transmission, which requires in-depth research and analysis, as well as combination with the specific context and background of TCM theories to accurately understand its meaning.

After analyzing the characteristics of the metaphorical language in the texts of traditional Chinese medicine, which at the same time are difficulties of translation. In order to properly cope with the characteristics of the metaphorical language in the translation process and improve the accuracy of the translation of the metaphorical language in traditional Chinese medicine, this article suggests the following methods of translating metaphorical language in TCM texts:

1. The method of literal translation with comments: The most literal translation of metaphorical expressions. A literal translation is a translation method that preserves both the content and the form of the original text. In the process of human development, there may be certain similarities in cognitive forms or characteristics, as well as common features between different national cultures. Thanks to the literal translation, it is easier for the reader to understand the ideas and style of the original text. At the same time, cultural connotations and the meanings behind them are explained using comments to help readers in the target language understand them. Thus, the cultural connotations of the language of Chinese medicine are preserved, and language expressions become visual and vivid.

The most direct way of perceiving the world for the first people was the perception of their natural environment. Conceptual metaphors related to natural phenomena and geographical concepts are found in abundance in Chinese medical texts. Ancient people saw such natural phenomena as water, fire, clouds, rain, etc., and understood that the bodily essence, Qi and blood of the human body turn into each other, thus studying the law of the material metabolism of the human body. In TCM texts, natural phenomena such as "wind, heat, cold, heat, dampness and dryness" are also used to explain the causes of disease and pathogenesis. All these are conceptual metaphors unique to TCM. For example, in Chinese medicine, the terms "发热-heat", "胆热-holistic heat", "血寒-cold in the blood" and "肺燥-dryness in the lungs" are used. In the terminology of Chinese medicine, geographical terms can be used to refer to parts of the human body. The geographical terms "sea, cave, well, stream, valley", which in their original meaning denote places and landforms, can be used metaphorically to clearly express the location of human body parts in Chinese medicine and their corresponding characteristics. For example, "水谷之海-sea of water and cereals", "谷-valley" and "溪-stream" mean gaps or depressions where the muscles of the limbs touch each other" ^{[12, 13]}.

"His longevity has no boundaries, and his life ends only with Heaven and Earth" ^{[10, p.27]}. This sentence uses the method of literal translation, and it is well known that life cannot be endless, but in ancient times it was believed that if a person knew how to maintain health and aspired to joy and will, then a person's life could be as long as Heaven and Earth. Therefore, ancient physicians used the idea of the boundlessness of Heaven and Earth as a metaphor for the longevity of human life. You can translate the sentence directly and at the same time add a comment about the philosophical and cultural ideas of ancient China. This not only explains the meaning of the original text, but also preserves the form of the original words and conveys complete medical information.

2. Free translation method: As a typical representative of Chinese culture, Chinese medicine is the quintessence of the mind and accumulated experience of the Chinese people over thousands of years, and in some aspects it is very different from Western culture. If we use a literal translation, there may be a lack of conceptual meaning or inconsistency in the translation process, which affects the formation of the recipient's cognition and the effect of the translation. At this time, as a rule, the method of free translation is used, the translation of a specific image is discarded, that is, the interpretation that describes the object of the metaphor is omitted, and cultural connotations are expressed directly to make it easier for readers to understand. For example, "仓廪不藏者,是" - "If the spleen and yolk cease to perform their conservation functions, then as a result, the rectum also does not fulfill its duties in the body" ^{[10, p.71]}. The word “仓廪" is a bin, but in translation it is translated as spleen and stomach.

And then, for example, "夫邪之入于脉也,寒则血凝泣..." - "So if pathogenic factors enter the body's channels, then when exposed to cold, the blood becomes thick and freezes" ^{[10, p.130]}. The word "邪(气)-harmful influence" refers to some bad elements, to factors that harm people and cause diseases, and there are a lot of factors that cause diseases. This word is a metaphor peculiar to the theory of Chinese medicine, and it is difficult to find an equivalent in translation, which makes it necessary to search for the cultural connotations contained in it to the corresponding concepts in Russian culture so that the reader understands them.

3. The method of transcription with a note in translation: some unique metaphors in TCM texts are transcribed with notes explaining their metaphorical meaning. For example, "Yin and Yang are masculine and feminine for the blood and Power of giving" ^{[10, p.26]}. Among them, Yin and Yang are two extremely abstract concepts, invisible, silent and colorless, but comparison with the very familiar qi and blood, men and women makes them understandable to people at first glance. The words "yin and yang" and "five elements" are concepts unique to the theory of Chinese medicine, but there are no equivalent words for them in translation. It is necessary to use this method to transcribe such metaphors and explain their meaning.

When translating, you should pay attention to the phenomenon of metaphor, understand the meaning of metaphor in the original text and flexibly combine the above methods depending on the specific situation in order to achieve a balance between accurate transmission and clarity. In short, it is necessary to respect the original text and restore the style of the original text as much as possible.

Conclusion

The translation of traditional Chinese medical texts is a necessity of Chinese medical texts themselves. Classical texts, i.e. classics, are a precious treasure left by ancestors to future generations and are an important cultural heritage of mankind. Translations can be considered as a continuation of the life of the original texts, and thanks to their translation into foreign languages, foreigners can understand the deep principles of Chinese medicine and Chinese culture, as well as continue the life of the original texts. An important part of the magnificent treasury of Chinese traditional culture is traditional Chinese medicine, which has been continuously practiced and progressively developed over many generations, and has its own unique historical and cultural background, especially the different ways of thinking and cultural factors hidden behind the language that make metaphors difficult to understand, thereby increasing the complexity of their translation. The development of cognitive linguistics has helped people to better understand cognitive metaphors, so it is necessary to decipher the metaphors in the texts of TCM with a cognitive orientation and integrate them from a scientific point of view. At the same time, it is necessary to establish that the status and influence of TCM cannot be shaken, protect it as a traditional and beautiful culture and continue to conduct thorough research so that it can play a more significant role in protecting human health.

In general, the translation of TCM texts will contribute more to maintaining the medical status of Chinese medicine, which is an important process of cultural dissemination. Many TCM texts, such as The Yellow Emperor's Treatise on the Inner, A Treatise on Various Feverish States Caused by Cold, etc., represent the highest field of TCM theory and have unique linguistic characteristics and modes of expression rich in metaphorical phenomena. When translating metaphorical language in TCM texts, an accurate understanding of its imagery, cultural relevance and polysemy, as well as the choice of appropriate methods and approaches, can make intercultural cognitive activity well understood and information transfer more perfect so that more people can understand TCM knowledge, accept TCM culture and strengthen the status of TCM in medicine within the general trend of medical exchanges between East and West.