Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines

xiiiTranslation of TCM Effects Terms. In the Volume 5 of the encyclopedia, 6,926TCM Plant entries list in alphabetical order of Latin names, including 2,923 originalTCM plants (including few of animals) [R01-R04] and 4,003 congeners (including a few ofnon-TCM medicinal plants). For each TCM plant, two most important features aretraditional TCM effects and indications.For preparing this encyclopedia, one of the greatest challenges is how to correctlytranslate each TCM term into correspondent English, so that Western readers are able tounderstand the true meaning of the content in the book. After comparing severaltranslation systems, we decided to use Wiseman’s terminological system [R05-R07] for thisbook.Wiseman’s system obeys two most important principles: (1). The Englishlanguageterms should be faithful to the original concepts in traditional Chinesemedicine. (2). The English-language TCM terminology should be flexible enough toallow modifications and extensions so that derivative effects can be described by astructuralized manner. For instance, the term “quicken blood” describes a general effectmeaning “activating blood flow” or “promoting blood circulation”. Elaboration of thisterm produces “quicken blood and transform stasis”, “quicken blood and relieve pain”,“quicken blood and regulate menstruation”, and so on. The following illustrations anexample of the structuralized expressions related to the term “quicken blood”:quicken blood and disinhibit waterquicken blood and dispel stasisquicken blood and dispel windquicken blood and disperse swellingquicken blood and disperse welling abscessquicken blood and dissipate bindsquicken blood and dissipate stasisquicken blood and free menstruationquicken blood and free network vesselsquicken blood and free vesselsquicken blood and joint bonesquicken blood and move qiquicken blood and move stasisquicken blood and nourish heartquicken blood and promote milkquicken blood and quiet spiritquicken blood and regulate menstruationquicken blood and relieve painquicken blood and resolve toxinquicken blood and settle painquicken blood and soothe sinewsquicken blood and stanch bleedingquicken blood and strengthen sinewsquicken blood and transform stasisquicken blood and vessels