Yenlin Ku
In the
early 20th century
the English word “radical” was translated to ”激進” in Chinese and
the term has been widely used ever since. As a
result, “radical feminism” was translated to ”激進女性主義” in the 1970s. However, when it came to the 1990s, Fu Da-wei, a male
history professor in Taiwan, argued that the translation should be switched to ”基進女性主義” , because the root of the English word “radical”
is “root”. ”基” (meaning “basic” and
”fundamental”) in Chinese implies that change should come from the bottom. Many
academics quickly replaced ”激進” with ”基進”. However, fundamentalism connotes a sense
of strict adherence to the literal interpretation of scripture.
In that case, ”基進” is poles apart from the critical
and revolutionary nature of ”激進”.
Furthermore, “基進”, a newly coined term, is unfamiliar to the majority of Chinese
readers. Some consider it a purely academic usage. On the other hand, “激進” is popular and easy to understand. With its
radical(部首) “water”,
“激” pictures the splash and
turbulence when fast flowing water runs into obstruction. The image of
splashing and turbulent water reminds me of the vigorous and passionate
struggle of the young feminists in the 1970s. Besides, “激進” also means complete and progressive changes.