Abstract:

Historically known as “Western Learning’s Eastward Spread," Western learning itself Western learning itself experienced qualitative differentiation and reorganization from the sixteenth century up to the end of the nineteenth century. The most important change was the transition from ‘ART’ to ‘SCIENCE’, namely the establishment of modern science. The evolution of the names and content of disciplines can be traced back to Western encyclopedias and language dictionaries of the nineteenth century. The acceptance of evolving Western learning in the East can be described as being fraught with numerous difficulties and endured hardships. The Hyaku Gaku Renkan(1871—1873) by Japanese Meiji Enlightenment figure Nishi Amane was a significant challenge. In Hyaku Gaku Renkan, the interpretation of up to 1851 pairs of translated terms or definitions demonstrates Nishi Amane’s comprehension of Western concepts, a portion of which greatly influenced the East’s subsequent reception of Western learning. Focusing on Nishi Amane’s grasp of the terms “学science” and“术art”, this paper will analyze his unique understanding of the Western knowledge system, and further delineate his contributions to the development of modern academic studies in East Asia.

Key words: Western learning, Literature, Science, Technique, Fine art