Since the policy of opening and reform was implemented, with the normalization of Sino-US relations, Chinese scholars have broadened and deepened their studies of the U.S. In China, there is a hot trend toward American studies. Initially, scholars put much emphasis on such issues as American politics, economy, military affairs, foreign affairs and Sino-U.S. relations, but nowadays scholars have furthered their studies in American multi-cultures. All these testify to the fact that Chinese scholars have taken a more open and tolerant attitude toward the subjects in American studies. However, during this process, there emerges a phenomenon of mixed use of the two Chinese translations for the term “American studies”, i.e., the denotations and connotations of the two Chinese Translations are not clear. Starting from the definition of“American studies”, this paper intends to present and analyze the examples of the mixed use of the two Chinese translations of the same term with an aim to explore the differences between these two Chinese, terms and sum up the new orientations and developments in American studies at Present in China.
