Openness to Others: The Task of Translating Palliative Carefor China
Chinese Medical Sciences JournalVol. 40, Issue 4, Pages: 268-270(2025)
Commentary|Updated:2026-01-05
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Openness to Others: The Task of Translating Palliative Carefor China
“In the field of xxx, expert xx has made significant research progress. By establishing the xx system/exploring the xx topic/verifying the xx conjecture, xx has provided solutions to solve xx problems/open up a new direction for xx research/lay a foundation for the construction of the xx system.”
Affiliations:
Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
.With this preamble, I turn to the remarkable name, agreed upon by the Chinese Expert Consensus Working Group, for the activity of responding optimally to the suffering of the seriously ill in China: 缓和医疗. I will not address the methods used by the Working Group other than to note that the Group impressively included colleagues from multiple disciplines, regions, and age groups. Rather, I will give my impressions as a non-Chinese-speaker of this term. My impressions are based on what I have read and been told by Chinese colleagues who have patiently and generously answered by endless questions about the term. Any misunderstands are, of course, mine alone.[J].中国医学科学杂志(英文),2025,40(04):268-270.
common My understanding is that all of these characters are quite,recognizable are easily,Chinese meaningful for most,et al.Two of the "supplementary items of the definition for palliative care" appear to me to have strongly informed the formulation of this name. The Chinese practice: ● should "understand and respect the cultural and value preferences of patients and their families," and ● should be "adapted to the Chinese cultural context."[J].Chinese Medical Sciences Journal,2025,40(04):268-270.
.With this preamble, I turn to the remarkable name, agreed upon by the Chinese Expert Consensus Working Group, for the activity of responding optimally to the suffering of the seriously ill in China: 缓和医疗. I will not address the methods used by the Working Group other than to note that the Group impressively included colleagues from multiple disciplines, regions, and age groups. Rather, I will give my impressions as a non-Chinese-speaker of this term. My impressions are based on what I have read and been told by Chinese colleagues who have patiently and generously answered by endless questions about the term. Any misunderstands are, of course, mine alone.[J].中国医学科学杂志(英文),2025,40(04):268-270. DOI: 10.24920/004527.
common My understanding is that all of these characters are quite,recognizable are easily,Chinese meaningful for most,et al.Two of the "supplementary items of the definition for palliative care" appear to me to have strongly informed the formulation of this name. The Chinese practice: ● should "understand and respect the cultural and value preferences of patients and their families," and ● should be "adapted to the Chinese cultural context."[J].Chinese Medical Sciences Journal,2025,40(04):268-270. DOI: 10.24920/004527.
Openness to Others: The Task of Translating Palliative Carefor China