Abstract In the Medieval era,some new Chinese words and phrases were introduced to Japan.However,the majority of them changed their connotations in the new context.This is manifested in Syotosyū (初渡集),the diary of a Japanese monk Sakugen Shūryō (策彦周良) while he was traveling in Ming China in the 16th century as an tributary envoy of Japanese Court.Although words like 'dongpo(东坡)','dingding(丁丁)','lulling (庐陵)','yanjing(烟景)','yizhi(一指)' and 'maichen(买臣)' in Syotosyū all originated from Ming China,they greatly changed their meanings and usages in Medieval Japan.There are two main reasons for the changes.Firstly,the Japanese intelligentsia brought new understandings to the Chinese words and phrases.Secondly,the original cultural connotation was abandoned or replaced in a different cultural context by new images and intuition.This is a new model of inheritance and innovation of Chinese words overseas.
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