The characters 达尔文 (Dá'ěrwén) are a standard phonetic transliteration of the name “Darwin.” The last two characters, 主义 (zhǔyì), form a common suffix that means “-ism,” found in words like `社会主义 (shèhuìzhǔyì)` (socialism) and `资本主义 (zīběnzhǔyì)` (capitalism). Together, 达尔文主义 literally means “Darwin-ism.”
The concept of Darwinism entered China in the late 19th century through the influential translation work of scholar Yan Fu (严复). At a time when China was facing immense pressure from Western powers, Yan Fu's translation of Thomas Huxley's “Evolution and Ethics” was not just a scientific text but a call to action. His famous translation of “survival of the fittest” as 物竞天择, 适者生存 (wù jìng tiān zé, shì zhě shēng cún) — “natural competition, heavenly selection; the fit survive” — became a powerful slogan. For Chinese intellectuals, Darwinism provided a framework to understand their nation's weakness and a path forward: China had to compete and modernize, or it would be “eliminated” on the world stage. Comparison with Western Culture: In the West, “Darwinism” is primarily a biological theory. Its application to society, known as “Social Darwinism,” is a distinct and often highly criticized concept. In China, this distinction is blurred in the popular imagination. When someone mentions 达尔文主义, they are often implicitly referring to the social, competitive aspects. This historical context charged the term with a sense of national urgency and a justification for intense struggle that persists to this day in describing societal pressures.
达尔文主义 is frequently used to describe any environment characterized by ruthless competition. Its connotation is often cynical or grim, but it can also be used as a stoic acknowledgement of a harsh reality.