The concept of ziran自然 was on the many important concepts that experienced a rise in importance in modern Chinese philosophy through the fusion of Eastern and Western culture. However, there is still some confusion regarding how the term ziran became a modern Chinese concept as well as the role this concept played in modern Chinese philosophy. For example, how was “nature” translated in modern English-Chinese dictionaries? When did ziran begin to be used to translate the term “nature”? Was it a result of accepting Japanese translations? How did modern Chinese intellectuals understand and interpret “nature” and the Chinese concept of ziran? People are still unclear on all of this. If we say that the process of the term “nature” entering China and the process of transformation of the Chinese concept of ziran constitute the birth of the modern Chinese concept of ziran through their holistic mutual interaction, then a discussion of this will involve the history of how modern English-Chinese dictionaries translated the terms “nature” and “natural,” and, moreover, will involve the history of how modern Chinese intellectuals understood and employed the term ziran.