Sinology

Sinology, otherwise referred to as Chinese studies, is a sub-field of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on China. It is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of the Chinese civilization primarily through Chinese language, history, culture, literature, philosophy, art, music, cinema, and science. Its origin "may be traced to the examination which Chinese scholars made of their own civilization." The academic field of sinology often refers to Western scholarship. It was historically seen to be equivalent to the application of philology to Chinese classics, and until the 20th century was generally seen as meaning "Chinese philology" (language and literature). Sinology has broadened in modern times to include Chinese history, epigraphy, and other subjects. The terms "sinology" and "sinologist" were coined around 1838 and use "sino-", derived from Late Latin Sinae from the Greek Sinae, from the Arabic Sin which in turn may derive from Qin, as in the Qin dynasty. In the context of area studies, the European and the American usages may differ. In Europe, sinology is usually known as Chinese studies, whereas in the United States, sinology is a subfield of Chinese studies. A China watcher is a person who monitors current events and power struggles in the People's Republic of China. Kangaku In Japan, sinology was known as 漢学. It was opposed to kokugaku, the study of Japan, and Yōgaku or Rangaku, the study of the West or Netherlands. It is distinguished from the Western and modern sinology. In modern China, the studies of China-related subjects is known as "national studies" (), and foreign sinology is translated as "Han studies" (). The earliest Westerners known to have studied Chinese in significant numbers were 16th-century Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian missionariesall from either the Dominican Order or the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)seeking to spread Catholic Christianity among the Chinese people.