Abstract
The translation of the word “DESIGN”, from the beginning of the 20th century. when it was first introduced to China from Western countries, up to now, has changed many times, including “Tu-an [_??__??_] (pattern)”, “Gong-yi-mei-shu [_??__??__??__??_] (arts and crafts)”, “Yi-shu-she ji [_??__??__??__??_] (artistic design)”, and “She ji-yi-shu [_??__??__??__??_] (design art)”. After analyzing and differentiating the meanings of the original word and the translations, the author reveals that the underlying trend of the translations is to put more emphasis on the relationship between design and art, particularly their similarities and consistence, rather on the unique characteristics of design acquired from continuous evolution of the tradition. Those translations clearly reflect certain flaws of design research and education in China in the past. Considering the differences between design and art, the specialization of design study and its independence from art study are not enough; on the other hand, considering their similarities, the connection and cooperation between design research and art research have not been fully explored. Designers and artists haven't carried out extensive cooperation in specialized fields.
