The early construction of the Chinese physics terminology system in the globalization of Western scientific knowledge

This study focuses on the historical construction of the system of Chinese physics terminology against the backdrop of the globalization of Western scientific knowledge, and analyzes its role in shaping cultural identity and fostering domestic academic independent practice capabilities within the scientific discourse. In the early stage, the terminology unification efforts led by missionaries laid the foundation for the establishment of China's physics terminology system. However, due to loose organization and lack of official promotion and support, most terms failed to achieve effective unification and widespread application. The Republican period marked a critical turning point: the Scientific Terminology Review Committee integrated local academic forces with government support, launching the first large-scale and systematic terminology unification initiative. By supplementing and revising terminology entries, formulating unification norms, and thoroughly exploring and practicing semantic translation methods, this effort provided a reference for other concurrent terminology unification work. In adapting to local needs, and adopting a localized transliteration strategy, original Chinese translations for scientific units were developed. The effort also calibrated scientific connotations of terms by ensuring that the terminology not only aligned with the essence of physics but also conformed to local cognitive logic. The ultimate system broke free from passive reliance on Western missionary-developed terminology translations; while it fully absorbed their reasonable components, it also realized the integration of "traditional" culture and "modern" science, providing exclusive terminological support for the development of Chinese physics. Having transcended mere language conversion, the effort was anchored in Chinese cultural contexts, integrating unique cultural expressions into translations, offering terminology for scientific communication that retained cultural identity, thus unifying functional and cultural values. In the practical process of constructing a system of terminology, the translators integrated the traditional thought of (gé wù zhì zhī, investigating things to acquire knowledge) with Western empirical scientific rigor. This made the construction of terminology system a collaborative process of introducing Western knowledge while transmitting and promoting local cultural spirit. This endeavor ultimately resulted in a physics terminology system that suits the characteristics of the Chinese language and the needs of Chinese science. The process demonstrated that Chinese scholars did not passively accept Western terminology but instead exercised mature, independent practices characterized by the strategic integration of foreign concepts with local resources, contributing a culturally distinctive Chinese solution to an international system of scientific discourse.