Learning Chinese: feasibility, desirability, and resistance

Abstract

It is generally recognized that a knowledge of Chinese is beneficial for students of Chinese medicine. Until now, however, schools have provided little or no language training, and the few students who have learned Chinese have done so on their own initiative. In this paper, I suggest that the question of learning Chinese is one of the major issues in the transmission of Chinese medicine that, like all the linguistic issues, tends to get ignored. The question of learning Chinese deserves attention because it may be more feasible and more beneficial than has hitherto been thought. What is more, it has been in certain people's interests to ignore this fact, and to give no encouragement to the learning of Chinese.