在漢字文化圈的國家中，中國在過往一段頗長時期都是一個漢字文化、儒教文化的輸出國。但是，受到長期以來的華夷思想所限制，以及在清朝統治的200多年期間所採取的鎖國政策的影響下，中國對於由歐美國家掀起的工業革命及其所引發的近代科學技術，可謂一無所知。在這個背景下，前往日本的中國留學生皆抱著一種「洋務圖強」的夙願，希望能竭盡所能，在政治、思想、教育、哲學和科學技術等各個領域，把近代文明引進中國。而現代漢語中大量存在的日語借詞，都是通過留學生的翻譯介紹進入中國。這些詞彙是在明治時期，由日本人翻譯製造，稱為和製漢詞。本文論述中國的赴日留學生以及他們進行的翻譯活動對當時文學界以及中國的現代文學語言觀所產生的影響。清末以來形式多樣的語言變革，其目的雖在求「文字簡易」以便「普及教育」，而不在文學本身，但其「文字救國」的觀念，後來卻逐漸演變為「文學救國」的現代文學功能觀。這確實說明清末以來的語言變革為五四文學的先導，中國文學語言的現代轉型是一個漸進的過程而非突發的事件

Amongst countries in Chinese words culture, China has been regarded as the export country of Chinese words culture and Confucianism for quite a long time. Nonetheless, the barrier from a closed economy system from the Qing Dynasty and thereafter, the Chinese had never experienced the industrial revolution and the corresponding recent technologies. It was apparent that China was lagged behind in this regard. Under this circumstance, Chinese students studying aboard in Japan were with the grand mission for the strengthening movement. Indeed, they hoped that they would return with recent culture in the aspects of politics, mindset, education, psychology and scientific technology from Japan. The massive ＂loan words＂ in Chinese were incorporated through the translation from returned students. Indeed, these words and phrases were translated with respect to the social and natural science areas from Western Europe into the form of Japanese-made Chinese words during the Meiji restoration period