The concept of “glacier”, after being defined within Western geology, was introduced to China in 1854. The late Qing period saw varied translations, among which 冰川 (bingchuan)emerged. Following the First Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese translated term 冰河 (binghe) was imported, sparking a century-long contest between the two. Early Republican China leaned toward 冰河, but pioneering research by Li Siguang in 1921 significantly bolstered the academic standing of 冰川. The terminological competition was conclusively resolved in 1954, when China’s Committee for Scientific Terminology Unification formally established 冰川 as the standard term. This process not only standardized a key geological term but also reflected the dynamic interplay of transnational and indigenous forces in shaping modern Chinese science.