Acupuncture Etymology
Acupuncture has a very long documented history, particularly in China where most of its core traditional theories emerged and were first written down sometime during the Han Dynasty (202 BC- 220 CE). This provides acupuncture beginners with a vast dataset of information to help establish a strong foundation for further discovery and application of therapeutic protocols.
One of the first things new students of acupuncture may notice when reviewing Chinese medical texts is that the word "acupuncture" is not found. Instead the practice is named zhen (针), a word that translates into English as "needle" or “needling”. Zhen is in fact still the common word used for acupuncture in modern China, as it is used instead of acupuncture in most current Chinese books covering the subject.
So what happened? Why don't people outside of China simply use the word "needling" or some variation of this (ie "needling therapy"), if the original Chinese word for the practice of acupuncture is zhen? A closer look at the origins of the word acupuncture within a historical perspective provides beginners with clarity.
QIANJIN YAOFANG: THE FIRST ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ZHEN
Records indicate that by time of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) in China, zhen techniques and usage had been greatly developed, expanded and formalized. In one well-known Tang Dynasty book called Qianjin Yaofang, or Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces, the famous Chinese physician Sun Simiao is credited with compiling a massive thirty-volume treatise detailing zhen and other Chinese medical practices and concepts that had been recorded since at least as early as the Han Dynasty. The book includes a collection of over 4,500 herbal medicine prescriptions that were considered extremely valuable, hence the book's title. But it also includes volumes on the application of zhen, moxibustion, anmo (massage), diet, and exercise for a wide variety of illnesses and diseases, as well as sections detailing the specialties of gynecology, obstetrics, and pediatrics. Soon after publication, Sun Simiao’s work would be recognized for its comprehensiveness and usefulness, and declared the first encyclopedia for the practice of zhen and Chinese medicine.
EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN CHINA
Following the complete stalling of innovation in China during the latter part of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 CE), Western European imperialism continued expanding into East Asia. At the turn of sixteenth century CE, the Portuguese empire had successfully taken control of the overseas commercial traffic on trading routes from Europe to Asia, whose countries were by then engaged in foreign mercantilism. By 1557 CE, the Ming dynasty granted the Portuguese permission to lease the underdeveloped Macao peninsula and carry out trading activities from there.
To help support their efforts in new East Asian colonial enterprises, the Portugeuse soon commissioned the newly formed Societas Iesu, or the Society of Jesus. Commonly referred to simply as the Jesuits, members of this religious order were tasked with introducing European mathematics and science to arouse the interest of Chinese scholars, while also preserving and spreading the Christian faith. Upon their arrival, the Jesuits recognized the Chinese were sophisticated, intillegent, and scholarly people. So only the most talented and intelligent Jesuit priests were recruited to learn the Chinese language and initiate direct lines of communication.
ZHEN GETS A NEW NAME
In addition to proselytizing Christianity, the Jesuits succeeded at introducing Western European scientific ideas to China. Although they were not able to transfer Western medical knowledge of anatomy and physiology, Western science had by then already captured the interest of Chinese scholars and intellectuals that had witnessed the practice of basic medical procedures in Jesuit-run health clinics.
Conversely, as the Jesuits encountered Chinese culture, they took an interest in learning about Chinese philosophy, religion, medicine, science, and other cultural advancements. When the Jesuits encountered zhen, they named it acupunctura, from the Latin acus (needle) and punctura (penetration, piercing). Consequently, they became active in transmitting their findings of acupunctura back to Europe. Les Secrets de la Medicine des Chinoise, or Secrets of Chinese Medicine, written by the French Jesuit priest Placide Harvieu in (1671 CE), is often credited as being one of the first works on zhen that helped spark the profound interest in the development and practice of acupunctura in Europe.
FROM ACUPUNCTURA TO ACUPUNCTURE
The rise of the British Empire between 16th- 20th centuries CE proved to have a lasting impact on the future of the use of the word acupunctura instead of zhen or "needling". As the British colonists spread their influence around the world, English became the language of commerce, science, and politics. While most medical texts were still written in Latin, it was not long before English medical terms began replacing Latin ones. Eventually, the word acupunctura was translated into English as the familiar acupuncture.
Today, medical doctors from around the world have chosen English as the single language of communication, so it is no surprise the term acupuncture is recognized globally instead of zhen. Most all influential acupuncture journals are written in English, and English has become the language of choice at international acupuncture conferences. Ironically, some Chinese and Western medical professionals have recently attempted to rebrand emerging models of acupuncture with the use of the term "needling", for example as in "dry needling. However these newer models have not garnered wide acceptance and are generally still considered offshoots of acupuncture.