Sinology
1
9.9
- noun
- /sɪˈnɑːlədʒi/
- Specialized
- Contrary to the standard practice of Sinology, I have not relied on official statements, media reports, or announced state actions (such as China's military exercises in 1996) to describe or explain the relations among China, Taiwan, and the United States.
Examples
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It seems to me a most remarkable fact that despite the existence of many excellent studies of the ancient world, the one work on antiquity that many non-classicists have read, or at least heard of, is Black Athena, which was written by a professor of government at Cornell University who is an expert on Sinology.
Academic text (1995) -
"Once he became fluent, he taught himself to read the written script and entered a field that attracted few Westerners at the time: Sinology, the study of Chinese culture, history, and language.
Academic text (2010) -
The Euro-American coauthor of this study initially became involved in the enterprise of cross-cultural interpretation in the area of classical sinology.
Academic text (1996) -
She is pursuing a degree in Sinology to deepen her understanding of Chinese culture and history.
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His research in Sinology focuses on the evolution of Chinese literature over the past century.
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Many universities offer courses in Sinology to teach students about the language and traditions of China.
How Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
Sinology = Sino (semi-transparent) = sino + logy
The suffix '-logy' transparently means a field of study, but the combining form 'sino' is not familiar to most B1 learners.
Etymology
The word Sinology comes from the prefix Sino- meaning 'China' and the ending -logy meaning 'study', the same -logy you find in biology and geology. So Sinology simply means the 'study of China', which is why it refers to Chinese history, language, and culture.