The Translation and Dissemination of Ben Cao Gang Mu in Japan and America

Abstract

Cao Gang Mu ( Compendium of Materia Medica ), written by Li Shizhen, an outstanding medical expert in the Ming Dynasty, lasted 27 years and had three drafts changed. Once published, it was translated to all over the world with its great influence and spread in many countries in Asia, Europe, and America successively, becoming one of the best medical works ever and translated into different foreign languages. This paper focuses on the dissemination of Ben Cao Gang Mu in America and Japan to explore the differences between the Japanese world and the English world in the translation and introduction of traditional Chinese medicine classics.