





































Education, Language and Sociology Research 

ISSN 2690-3644 (Print) ISSN 2690-3652 (Online) 

Vol. 4, No. 5, 2023 

www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/elsr 

68 
 

Original Paper 

The Dissemination of the Practical Value of Chi Min Yao Shu 

from the Perspective of Skopos Theory 

Tongzhuo Wu1 

1 School of English Studies, Xi’an International Studies University, Xi’an, China 

 

Received: November 1, 2023   Accepted: November 20, 2023   Online Published: December 9, 2023 

doi:10.22158/elsr.v4n5p68         URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/elsr.v4n5p68 

 

Abstract 

As an important part of China’s excellent traditional culture, the agricultural classics holds an important 

position. As one of the representative works of agricultural classics, “Chi Min Yao Shu” condenses the 

great wisdom of China’s ancient working people, records the agricultural and animal husbandry 

production experience, including natural disasters governance, sericulture technology, animal 

husbandry and other practical values, and its research will play an important role in foreign cultural 

exchanges. At present, there is a certain gap in the research of agricultural classics in China, and the 

research results are not fruitful. This paper will discuss the practical value of Chi Min Yao Shu and its 

dissemination in Western and Asian countries from the perspective of skopos theory, and explore its 

research significance and impact on our international communication with other countries. 

Keywords 

Chi Min Yao Shu, Agricultural Classics, international dissemination, Practical value, Skopos theory 

 

1. Introduction 

China is a major agricultural country, with thousands of years of agricultural civilization, a long history 

of development and a rich scientific heritage. In summarizing the experience of agricultural production, 

many scientists have written a lot of agricultural books. Among them, Jia’s “Chi Min Yao Shu” shares the 

same fame with “Comprehensive Treatise on Agricultural Administration”, “The Book of Fan Sheng”, 

and “Book of Agriculture by Wang Zhen”, which are known as the four major agricultural books in China. 

Chin Min Yao Shu is one of the masterpieces of Chinese agricultural classics, which can be called the 

ancient Chinese agricultural encyclopedia, and is the first complete agricultural book in existence. The 

book consists of ten volumes, covering agricultural cultivation, animal husbandry, food processing, 

disaster management and so on. At present, in the context of the new era, telling Chinese stories and 

spreading Chinese voices well is our main task. While we see our brilliant achievements, we should also 



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find that there are still certain limitations in our research on agricultural classics. It is mainly reflected in 

the research and dissemination of practical value. According to the results of the survey conducted by 

Yan and Wang (2018), only 67 papers were published in the decade from 2009 to 2018, on the subject of 

English translation of Chinese agricultural classics. Compared with other research fields, the research 

results of agricultural classics are not fruitful. The main focus is on the discussion of translation research, 

research status, significance and future prospects. In terms of translation research and meaning, many 

scholars have put forward their own views on the study of agricultural texts. Kong (2021) discussed the 

current status of translation research, existing problems, and prospects for the future. Yan (2018) believes 

that strengthening the study of agricultural classics can promote the influence of Chinese culture in the 

world. Zhou (2021) mentioned that promoting agricultural classics to go global is also conducive to 

enhancing the international status of ancient Chinese academia. Wang (2019) also put forward her own 

views on the international dissemination of agricultural classics. So, we can see there is a certain gap in 

this field. Most of them rarely delve into the practical value of agricultural texts. The reason why our 

agricultural classics can be spread around the world is because they condense the great wisdom and 

valuable experience of the ancient people. Disseminating excellent Chinese traditional culture will 

greatly enhance the influence of our Chinese culture, enhance cultural self-confidence, and enrich the 

content of English translations of classics. This article will focus on the international dissemination of 

agricultural classics, study the spread of the Chi Min Yao Shu in Britain and France, and explore the 

impact on recipient countries and China. 

 

2. The Practical Value in “Chi Min Yao Shu” 

2.1 Sericulture Technology 

China was the first in the world to raise sericulture and began to develop sericulture technology, and silk 

products were once popular in Europe. The fifth volume of Chi Min Yao Shu focuses on the knowledge 

and technology of sericulture. It systematically summarizes and introduces the sericulture-related 

technology in his previous agricultural books and the new development of sericulture science and 

technology in 386-543, as well as Jia Sixun’s personal cognition of sericulture. The content covers the 

entire silkworm production process from mulberry planting to silkworm cocoon treatment, mainly 

including three categories: mulberry cultivation and breeding technology, silkworm breeding and 

sericulture technology, and silkworm production supporting technology. These three types of 

technologies are interlinked. It introduces us to the cultivation management of mulberry trees, the 

management of mulberry orchards, silkworm breeding and breeding technology and silkworm cocoon 

treatment technology. For example, in planting mulberry trees, Jia proposed to choose good seeds, and 

also introduced the layer method and grafting method. At that time, this was the crystallization of the 

wisdom of the ancient working people, and had a significant impact on the cultivation of mulberry trees 

for future generations. In silk processing, in order to prevent silkworms from breaking through the pupae 

and to ensure the quality of silk, the salt pickling method is used. 



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2.2 Natural disaster Governance 

Although “Chi Min Yao Shu” focuses on the summary of agricultural production technology, under the 

background of frequent disasters, its anti-disaster thinking is also the main content of the work. “Yao, 

Shun, and Tang are all foreseeing, although there are disasters in some years, but the people are not poor” 

(P210 of “How to Say No. 30” reflects the great importance that Qi Min Zhishu attaches to disaster 

prevention. In his book, he mentioned that compared with disaster resistance, disaster prevention is more 

preferred. So much attention should be paid to the prevention of natural disasters. It was also mentioned 

that disaster-resistant crops should be selected to ensure adequate food. High-yield crop soybeans should 

be selected for planting, and it is believed that high soybean yields can be prepared to combat hunger. In 

addition, the book also lists some drought-resistant and flood-resistant crops many times. For example, 

millet is more drought and flood resistant, and can ensure harvests regardless of drought and flood. He 

also mentioned that we should focus on crop diversity. This can largely avoid hunger, so that even in the 

face of natural disasters, some crops fail, but some crops can still be harvested normally, thus ensuring 

that food can be satisfied. At the same time, it is necessary to have the habit of storing food. Jia mentioned 

the word “saving” many times in the book, not only in grain, but also in breeding all feed should be saved, 

which can play a key role when disasters come. In addition, he suggested finding alternatives, such as 

some fruits, so that they could be used to combat famine.  

2.3 Animal Husbandry 

The animal husbandry in the “Chi Min Yao Shu” mainly describes horses and sheep, especially the 

breeding technology of sheep, and the achievements are very high, which has also had a significant 

impact on the sheep industry in later generations. In 386-534, sheep occupied a very important position 

in the daily life of people, especially nomads, and could meet people’s clothing, food and housing. He 

also summarized the breeding of sheep. In the book, he emphasized that the birth season and environment 

of lambs directly affect future growth and development, and that lambs born in the lunar month and the 

first month are generally of the best quality. For the shepherd, he should be docile and patient, care for 

the sheep, and ensure the sheep have a good life. In the treatment of diseases, if there are infectious 

diseases, they should be isolated separately to prevent contagion. The physical health of the sheep is also 

judged according to their jumping ability. It is enough to see that the major progress had made in breeding 

at that time. In terms of feed storage, a fence should be used in a dry place, and hay should be placed in 

the fence to allow the sheep to eat freely to prevent the sheep from stepping on and causing waste. In 

ancient Chinese agricultural books, horses, cattle, and pigs were the main ones on animal husbandry, but 

there were almost no monographs on sheep farming (Wang, Zhang, & Chai, 2004). It can be seen that 

the part of the sheep breeding in the “Chi Min Yao Shu” is very important and has a profound impact on 

future generations. 

 

 

 



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2.4 Agricultural Production 

Jia summarized the basic experience of agricultural production in detail in “Chi Min Yao Shu” and 

proposed that agricultural production must follow a fundamental principle, that is, comprehensively 

consider the “timing, location,” on the basis of giving play to people’s subjective initiative and increasing 

agricultural output. First of all, agricultural production should adapt to the times. Jia pointed out that 

“spring birth, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage are not easy to do at four times.” In 

the cultivation of crops, sowing seeds, watering, weeding and harvesting must follow the laws of nature, 

according to the seasons, which is should not be ignore. He mentioned in the book that a land, a 

characteristic, and the difference of land will also have an important impact on the growth of crops. At 

the same time, in the “Chi Min Yao Shu”, he also discussed in detail how the soil should maintain fertility 

and protect it by planting different crops. In terms of agricultural technology, Jia believes that “if you 

want to do good things, you must first sharpen your tools... And the equipment must be adjusted, so that 

it is fast. The tools of production are an important basis for promoting agricultural production. He attaches 

great importance to the improvement and application of agricultural production technology. He has 

conducted in-depth research in pest control techniques, farmland water conservancy, soil improvement 

and soil conservation, and ecological environmental protection. For example, “Chi Min Yao Shu” has a 

wealth of disease and pest prevention technology, using the characteristics of Artemisia wormwood 

supplemented by exposure to achieve the purpose of green insect control. It has greatly guaranteed the 

output of grain and promoted the improvement of agricultural productivity. 

 

3. The Spread of “Chi Min Yao Shu” in Other Countries 

In 1368-1912 were a period of large-scale exchanges between China and Europe. During this period, 

European countries expanded through overseas colonies, capital, and rapid economic development. 

Western missionaries represented by Matteo Ricci came to China to preach, bringing Western culture to 

China and bringing Chinese culture back to the West. Although in that periods, governments mainly 

concentrated in the fields of science and technology and literature, and agriculture was not dominant, 

many agricultural aspects also spread to Europe. They mainly brought agricultural products to Europe, 

translating and publishing relevant agricultural texts or documenting what they saw and heard in China 

in the form of letters. 

According to Han (1999), many of the missionaries’ published works on China also introduced traditional 

Chinese agriculture. For example, in 1667, Kircher published the Illustrated History of China, which 

introduced many Chinese agricultural products such as rhubarb, tea and pepper. In 1735, Duhed used 

missionary epistolary information to publish the four-volume General History of the Chinese Empire in 

Paris. In 1791, with the financial support of the French government, 15 volumes of the “China Series” 

were published, which talked about the Chinese emperor’s bowing ceremony and introduced that China 

had attached great importance to agriculture since ancient times. In 1737-1777, the 13-volume General 

History of China, translated by Feng Bingzheng and edited by Gorosi, was published in Paris, containing 



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much content on Chinese agricultural technology and products. In addition, Philosophical Transactions, 

the journal of the Royal Society, published some Chinese materials and research reports from 1666 to 

1774, about 34 articles, book reviews, and commentaries on China were published. This article focuses 

on the spread of the Chi Min Yao Shu in England and France 

3.1 In Britain  

After the bourgeois revolution, the capitalist economy further developed, the British bourgeoisie also 

intensified the plunder of the domestic and colonial people, the process of primitive accumulation of 

capital was further accelerated. Besides, overseas expansion was further carried out, and foreign 

exchanges were expanded. The Royal Society has also sent members to China for scientific activities and 

maintained close contact with missionaries in China. After missionaries came to China, they often 

recorded in detail what they saw and heard in China based on their own personal experiences, and 

transmitted them back to Europe in the form of letters. From 1702 to 1776, these letters were edited and 

published as the Collected Letters of the Jesuits, a 34-volume collection that became the main source of 

information about China in 18th-century Europe. 

Through the introduction of the Jesuits and Simon in China, Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882), a 

famous British biologist and the proposer of the theory of evolution, noticed the important agricultural 

work “Chi Min Yao Shu” and gave it a high evaluation, especially in the understanding of the principle 

of selection. According to Pan (1990), Darwin’s 1868 book The Variation of Animals and Plants under 

Domestication repeatedly quoted the contents of Chi Min Yao Shu contained in the Chinese Records, 

such as Chapter 20 “Artificial Selection”: “Regarding sheep”, the book refers that the improvement of 

breeds consists in the careful selection of lambs intended for breeding, their good rearing, and the 

segregation of the flock. The same principle is applied to various plants and fruit trees. This passage is 

derived from Jin Jishi’s article “Chinese Sheep”. Or chapter 24: “The general experience of agronomists 

is of some value, and they often remind people to be cautious when trying to cultivate products from one 

place in another.”  

3.2 In France  

After the formal formation of the French nation, France has successively experienced the Capetian period, 

the Valois period, and the Bourbon period. During the succession of three periods, the French feudal 

absolutism gradually developed, eventually reaching its peak under Louis XIV of Bourbons. Modern 

European countries are committed to commerce and pursue lucrative commercial profits. France is no 

exception, at the end of French feudal society, due to the development of the commodity economy, 

capitalist factors still arose. In the sixteenth century, capitalist relations in industry were already budding, 

and until the eighteenth century, the commodity economy developed and mercantilism prevailed. The 

French minister Louis XIV Körber had asked for an investigation of Chinese production, and his 

successor Loire also encouraged scientific and technological investigations in China, with the state 

paying a certain fee. The French Royal Academy of Sciences once drew up a list of Chinese problems, 



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including Chinese history, science and technology, flora and fauna, weapons and printing, and the use of 

the compass and so on These scientific activities had a lot to do with French missionaries in China  

Pan (1990) pointed out that from 1776 to 1814, a large series of books on China, mainly based on the 

letters and manuscripts of the Jesuits who came to China in 15-16th centuries, “Records of the Beijing 

Jesuits on the Chinese History, Science, Technology, Customs, Habits, etc.” (referred to as “Chinese 

Records”), 16 volumes of Mémoires concernant les Chinois were published in Paris, many of which 

came from the “Chi Min Yao Shu”. In 1864, Jin Jishi’s article was annotated by Eugéne Simon (1829-

1896), a French sinologist and agricultural expert in China, and republished in the Bulletin de la Societe 

d ‘Acclimatation) in Paris. Simon also introduced the Chi Min Yao Shu in his essay on Chinese agriculture 

and praised it. 

 

4. The Dissemination of Chi Min Yao Shu from Perspective of Skopos Theory  

The author believes that the international dissemination of “Chi Min Yao Shu” can be better understood 

under the framework of skopos theory. From the perspective of skopos theory, the purpose of any 

translation action and how to translate or translate the mode is the result of the translator’s communication 

with the translator’s client or the client of the translation act, so the translator acts as an expert in this 

translation process and has a higher right to decide how the translation is presented and the method of 

translation (Vermmer, 2000, p. 221). In the process of translating or disseminating the “Chi Min Yao Shu”, 

readers or audience groups in other countries are the translation clients, so the translator and the 

translation act client must have full communication, and the translator should consider how and in what 

way and language can express to meet the expected goals of the translation client, and how to enable 

readers in other countries to understand the great wisdom contained in the “Chi Min Yao Shu”. 

Within this framework, the source text greatly reduces its status and does not enjoy supremacy, but merely 

becomes a reference. Vermeer argues that this is because the source text is created for the source language 

reader in the specific context of the source culture, and translation activities are a cross-language and 

cross-cultural act, and simply “transcoding” or “shifting” the source text into the target culture does not 

necessarily produce a well-suited communication tool. In other words, if we only blindly pursue 

equivalence with the source language, translation is not necessarily a successful translation. Therefore, 

the key criterion for measuring the quality of a translation does not depend entirely on the source text, 

but the purpose of the translation, which plays a key role in the act of translation. Therefore, in the process 

of translating “Chi Min Yao Shu”, the translator can enjoy a great degree of freedom, and make 

appropriate adjustments and changes to the source text to ensure the realization of the translation purpose 

and the success of the translation act. So this agricultural work can be better accepted by readers and 

show the great wisdom of the ancient Chinese working people. 

In addition, skopos theory holds that the translation and the original text diverge in two ways. One is the 

way the content is expressed and distributed, and the other is the intended purpose. Take “Chi Min Yao 

Shu” as an example, the book mainly records the agricultural and animal husbandry production 



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experience of working people in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, disaster management 

and other methods, which belongs to scientific and technological classics, and some agricultural proverbs 

will appear in the book, such as: 欲知五谷，但视五木；天气新晴，是夜必霜；冬天麦盖三层被，

来年枕着馒头睡 and so on. Among them, the language in this book mostly appears in the form of ancient 

classical Chinese, and the book is divided into ten volumes and ninety-two articles, which are presented 

to the public in a systematic and classic way. The purpose is to sum up the experience and enlighten 

future generations. In the process of translating this book, we must consider how to translate it so that 

the target readers can understand and meet the expectations of readers, whether we use it for scholars’ 

research or present it to the public in the form of popular science books; Whether to maintain the style 

of the original text, or to present it to the general reader in a more popular way. It is precisely because of 

the difference in the status, intended purpose, and intended audience of the source text and the target text 

in their respective cultures that determine the differences between the translated and the original text. 

 

5. The Significance of the External Dissemination of “Chi Min Yao Shu” 

1) The external dissemination of “Chi Min Yao Shu” will greatly enhance the international influence of 

our Chinese culture, establish cultural self-confidence, and improve the soft power of Chinese culture. 

As one of the representative works of agricultural classics, “Chi Min Yao Shu” embodies the great wisdom 

of China’s ancient working people, reflects ancient Chinese agricultural thought, and is of great 

significance to the development of Chinese agriculture and even world agriculture. The practical value 

will directly reflect the development of agriculture and animal husbandry in China at that time, so that 

the world can better understand the agricultural thinking and wisdom. Therefore, promoting this book to 

go out will greatly enhance China’s cultural influence and enhance cultural self-confidence. 

2) It can enrich the objects and contents of English translation of classic books and promote the perfection 

of translation talents. Wang (2011, pp. 11-12) pointed out that at present, there is a serious shortage of 

talents for English translators of classic books in China, and translators are facing the problem of aging 

structure, and there is a fault line in the translator team. Therefore, this study will promote the cultivation 

of translation talents in related agricultural fields, alleviate the embarrassing situation of lack of classic 

translators, and attract more translators to invest in the English translation and international dissemination 

of agricultural classics. In addition, it is also proposed that the scope of translation is narrow, mainly 

concentrated in the field of literature, and other fields are less involved, so it is necessary to expand the 

scope of English translation to the fields of classical Chinese law, medicine, economics, military, 

astronomy, geography and works of ethnic minorities. In the thousands of years of development of 

Chinese civilization, many agricultural classics have appeared, but the research on the English translation 

of agricultural classics is relatively weak, and few people are engaged in the research of English 

translation of agricultural classics. Therefore, promoting the “Chi Min Yao Shu” to go out can enrich the 

research objects of classic translation, expand the English translation content of agricultural classics, and 

promote the development and progress of agricultural classic research. 



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3) It is also of reference significance for the study of English translation of other agricultural texts. China 

has a long history of agriculture and rich agricultural classics, according to statistics, there are about 472 

kinds of ancient agricultural documents, and 224 species exist (Wang, 1989, p. 37). As an encyclopedia 

of ancient Chinese agriculture and one of the four major agricultural books, the importance of “Chi Min 

Yao Shu” is self-evident. The study of the English translation of this book will also attract other scholars 

to the study of other agricultural books. Therefore, as one of the representative works of agricultural 

classics, its English translation research will also provide reference significance for the research of other 

agricultural classics. 

4) Provide experience for promoting agricultural development in other countries. The book consists of 

ten volumes, covering agricultural planting, animal husbandry, food processing, and disaster 

management. Each country will have its own livestock and agriculture, and natural disaster management 

and protection, which are also important for all countries. China’s agricultural experience can provide 

experience to other countries that grow the same crop, and at the same time provide methods for disaster 

management, thereby greatly promoting agricultural development in other countries. In addition, Zhang 

and Wu (2006, pp. 236-248) also believe that the results of the “Western Transmission of Middle School” 

to Europe by the Jesuits in China also contributed to the rise of French physiocrats. In France, from the 

time of Louis XIII to Louis XIV, a mercantilism policy was pursued, and the interests of peasants were 

seriously damaged. Chinese agricultural books and agricultural ideas were introduced to France through 

missionaries, which also greatly eased social contradictions and promoted social progress. 

 

6. Conclusion  

The study of international communication and translation is not only the collision between words, 

language and culture, but also the communication between knowledge and civilization, which determines 

the expression of translated texts and different translation strategies. Agricultural classics are not only a 

book that records the development of ancient agriculture and agricultural ideas, but also condenses the 

great wisdom of the ancient working people in China, and is an important carrier for spreading Chinese 

culture. Therefore, spreading the “Chi Min Yao Shu”, bringing the practical value more countries, so that 

more people can understand this agricultural work and know the labor wisdom in it, will be of great 

significance to the development of world agriculture and world civilization, not only can improve the 

influence of Chinese culture in the world, establish cultural self-confidence, but also promote the 

development and progress of related industries in other countries. 

 

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