基于目的论探讨人工智能在中医经典文献翻译中的局限与突破——以《辨太阳病脉证并治上》翻译为例

Exploring the Limitations and Breakthroughs of Artificial Intelligence in Translating Traditional Chinese Medicine Classics through the Skopos Theory—A Case Study on the Translation of Differentiation of the Pulse, Symptom Complex, and Treatment of the Taiyang (Initial Yang) Syndromes

摘要: 中医经典文献承载着独特的医学理论体系与深厚的文化内涵，其准确翻译对全球范围内传播中医知识至关重要。当前，人工智能技术在翻译领域的应用日益广泛，为中医典籍翻译提供了效率提升的可能，但也带来显著挑战，特别是在处理高度专业化和文化负载的内容时。本研究选取《伤寒论》核心篇章之一的《辨太阳病脉证并治上》作为分析对象，以翻译目的论为理论基础系统比较了典型人工智能译文与人工译本之间的差异。分析案例结果表明人工智能翻译在中医典籍处理上的主要局限是语义解码不充分、文化缺省补偿方面存在明显漏洞和语用适应性不足。基于以上发现，本文提出了针对性的改进方向如构建权威中医术语库、优化算法设计，以及模拟真实翻译应用场景。本文讨论人工智能翻译的局限与突破，旨在探讨AI翻译中医经典文献的潜力与不足，寻求突破路径，提升中医文献外译的专业水准，促进跨文化医学知识体系的构建与中医药文化的深度交流。

Abstract: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) classics embody profound cultural heritage and unique professional wisdom, whose accurate translation plays a pivotal role in the global dissemination of TCM knowledge. Against the backdrop of widespread application of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, the integration of AI with TCM classics translation presents significant opportunities while confronting substantial challenges. This study adopts Skopos Theory as its core theoretical framework, focusing on its three fundamental principles—the Skopos Rule, Coherence Rule, and Fidelity Rule. Taking the seminal chapter “Differentiation of the Pulse, Symptom Complex, and Treatment of the Taiyang (Initial Yang) Syndromes” from Shanghan Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage) as the research object, we systematically compare AI-generated translations with professional human translations. The analysis aims to deeply examine the primary limitations of AI in TCM classics translation, including inadequate comprehension of cultural metaphors and connotative meanings of specialized terminology, as well as deficiencies in compensating for cultural defaults and achieving pragmatic adaptation. Meanwhile, this study explores potential breakthrough directions to enhance the professionalization of TCM literature translation, advance the construction, inheritance, and development of cross-cultural medical knowledge systems, and promote the international exchange and widespread dissemination of TCM culture.