"Mr.Science" in Translation:Science Translation in the Ming and Qing Dynasties——For the Development of Chinese Translation History and Theories

There are four climaxes in the long history of Chinese translation,i.e.the first climax dominated by Buddhist scripture translation from the Eastern Han to Tang and Song Dynasties,the second characterized by the translation of scientific and technical literature in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties,the third featured by the translation of western works including revolutionary theories and literary works during the May Fourth Movement and its later,and the fourth typified by the vigorous development of China's translation undertaking since the establishment of new China,especially the reform and opening-up.Every climax presents a distinctive feature and has an immeasurable effect on the development of Chinese society.The translation,as in the past,began with the introduction of religion in the late Ming and early Qing.However,compared with the previous periods,it mainly introduced scientific and technical documents instead of religious texts.As a result,in the history of Chinese translation,this period of translation became a watershed,a prologue to translating scientific and technical documents systematically,which exerted a great influence on the development of science and technology in China.