Cross-Lingual Representation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Terms: A Knowledge System Perspective

Abstract

The classical works of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) serve as the carriers of the TCM knowledge system and play a crucial role in the inheritance and dissemination of TCM knowledge. However, research on TCM terms within these classical works, which constitute the basic representational units of TCM knowledge, remains relatively scarce. Given that a considerable number of diseases in TCM are named with the Chinese character “风” (feng, meaning wind), this study selects 20 TCM classics and extracts 1,506 TCM terms with the character feng. It aims to explore the relationship between TCM terms with the Chinese character feng and the TCM knowledge system and further investigate approaches to cross-lingual representation of these terms. The study finds that TCM terms with the Chinese character feng serve as the foundation of the TCM knowledge system, act as the vehicle for its evolution, and function as the medium for its dissemination. It further finds that approaches to the cross-lingual representation of TCM terms with the Chinese character feng include knowledge graph, diachronic diagram, interpretation, and multimodal method. These approaches contribute to the systematisation, linearisation, clarification, and integration of TCM knowledge. This study pioneers the application of cross-lingual representation in the field of TCM. It is hoped that this research will promote the global dissemination of TCM wisdom and foster mutual understanding between Chinese and Western medicine.

Keywords

• feng
• TCM terms with the Chinese character feng
• feng-centered TCM knowledge system
• TCM classics
• approaches to cross-lingual representation

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