Abstract: The Chinese viewed psychology as an alien concept. However, words such as “xin” and “xinli” have been used for long in the history of the Chinese language, and the Chinese people’s understanding of these words has reflected their level of knowledge on aspects of the “mind.” After Western psychology was introduced to China, the term psychology in the Chinese language experienced a process of choice, reflecting the modern Chinese scholars’ consideration of mind and psychology. The Chinese perspectives on mind and psychology represent the dialectical relation that the mind is a function of the brain. However, psychology should not be reduced to physiology, as it is not a discipline of brain science.
Hence, according to the Chinese view, psychology is a discipline that has the characteristics of natural science and social science. In a parallel evolution, the implication of the Chinese word “xin” changed from signifying an internal organ (the heart) to representing thoughts, ideas, affections, dispositions, and morals of people. In this sense, the term “xinlixue” (psychology) in Chinese was more encompassing and conformed to the current definition of psychology as endorsed in international academic circles.
A discipline cannot be immune to the influence of the society and culture from which it originates, and Chinese psychology is no exception in this regard. It has for long been subject to the impact of ideology, scientism, common sense, and folk psychology. In recent years, Chinese scholars have reflected on the problems surrounding the discipline of psychology, which has evoked a global response from an emerging of “second psychology,” such as cultural psychology. The Chinese people’s understanding of mind and psychology might facilitate the integration of various disciplines of psychology, which in turn might develop a common body of psychology

Key words: mind, psychology, Chinese, context, second psychology