Multi-source Evolution and Institutional Selection:Formation of the New Meaning of"Bankruptcy"in the Late Qing Dynasty
In contrast to the factual bankruptcy in ancient times,the modern concept of bankruptcy is primarily rooted in financial statistics and specifically tied to debt.This shift from the concrete to the abstract has laid the socio-economic foundation for the emergence of the new meaning of"bankruptcy"in the modern era.In the second half of the 19th century,various terms such as the indigenous term"dao"(倒),the Western translation"bao qiong"(报穷),and the Japanese loanword"pochan"(破产)all had the potential to represent the new connotation of the modern bankruptcy concept,each with its own applicable context.Initially,the Japanese loanword"bankruptcy"did not hold a prominent position.However,with the support of the late Qing commercial legislation,"bankruptcy"gradually became integrated into the national legal system,eventually assuming a dominant role.Additionally,when paired with certain abstract nouns that imply vitality,the term"bankruptcy"also extends metaphorically to signify the failure of endeavors.In summary,the development of the new meaning of the bankruptcy concept takes the socio-economic transformation as its precondition,the assimilation of diverse knowledge as its source,the institutional changes for integration,and syntactic structure transformations for extension.
Late Qing DynastyBankruptcyDao Hang(倒行)Dao Zhang(倒账)Bao Qiong(报穷)
NETL
NSTL
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