晚清修律大臣沈家本（1840-1913）所領導下的中國法律近代化，本質上，是一場異質法的法律繼受工程，其中，法律語言的轉換問題是繼受外國法過程中不可或缺的重要環節。而法律繼受與法律語言的相互關係是個大課題，由於牽涉過廣，本文為了聚焦，乃限縮研究範圍，僅論及《大清新刑律》立法繼受過程中的法律用語，而不及學理繼受與裁判繼受。要處理的是，清末為何選擇以日本作為繼受歐陸法的過渡津樑？修律團隊中的成員如何面對傳統中國律典舊詞與歐陸法新語的轉換抉擇？而具有法、德與日本影子的這部新式刑法典，在法律語言上具有甚麼樣的特徵？立法過程中曾遭遇哪些困難？施行後的效果如何？又異質法繼受下新式法律用語的得與失為何？凡此皆屬大哉問，希望透過這段繼受外國法中所遭遇的辛苦際遇，尋繹若干法文化上的歷史與時代意義，也盼能提供作為當代社會面臨相關問題時的借鏡。

The Chinese legal modernization, led by the Legal Reversion Minster Shen Jiaben (1940-1913), was an example of the reception between dissimilar legal cultures. Among all the related topics, the legal translation shall be one of the upmost critical aspects to observe. However, the reception and the translation of law are both complex issues. To narrow down the research scope, this article aims to concentrate on the legislative translation of the Great Qing Criminal Code while excluding the discussions on the theoretical and the judicial receptions. This article seeks to answer the following noteworthy questions: Why did the Qing Government take Japan as the bridge to import the European Law? How did the members in charge of the legal reversion coordinate the traditional terms with the foreign ones? What are the linguistic significances contained in the new code, which fuses the influences from France, Germany and Japan? What are the difficulties during the legislation and the effects after the promulgation? Moreover, what are the merits and the demerits of the outcome? By answering these essential questions, it is possible for the public to figure out the historical meanings of the legal reception. It is also hoped that the answers to the questions aforementioned shall benefit the problems we are facing today.