# Dr Cook:chinese Polisher

> Polish and refine academic Chinese writing for publication in Chinese-language journals. Use when improving Chinese grammar, vocabulary, sentence fluency, or domain-specific terminology in Chinese manuscripts, abstracts, or grant sections. Triggers on: Chinese polish, Chinese academic writing, 中文润色, 学术中文, 中文写作, 中文修改, 学术写作润色, polish Chinese, improve Chinese writing, academic Chinese, Chinese manuscript. Does NOT trigger on translation tasks: en-to-zh (English to Chinese translation) or zh-to-en (Chinese to English translation).

- Skill: `wen-chen/dr-cook-chinese-polisher` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add wen-chen/dr-cook-chinese-polisher`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/wen-chen/dr-cook-chinese-polisher/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: wen-chen (https://skillmd.com/u/wen-chen)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/wen-chen/dr-cook-chinese-polisher

---


# chinese-polisher

## 1. Overview

chinese-polisher refines Chinese academic text for publication in Chinese-language journals. It operates in three sequential passes: Pass 1 corrects grammar and syntax — sentence structure, connector word usage, and redundancy removal. Pass 2 elevates vocabulary and register — replacing colloquial words with academic equivalents, upgrading informal connectors to formal register, and standardizing domain-specific terminology (TCM terms via `references/tcm-terminology-zh.md`). Pass 3 improves sentence fluency — varying length and structure, ensuring paragraph coherence, and aligning logical connectors to actual relationships (因果/转折/递进/并列). The module accepts text from upstream modules via `context_output.raw_text` or directly from user input.

## 2. Parameters

### Required

| Parameter | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `text` | string | Chinese text to polish. Paste directly or inherit from `context_output.raw_text`. |

### Optional

| Parameter | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `domain` | `tcm` \| `bioinformatics` \| `clinical` \| `pharmacology` (default: `tcm`) | Determines which domain-specific terminology rules apply during Pass 2. Default is `tcm` — most Chinese academic writing in this suite is TCM-focused. |
| `target_journal` | string | If specified, adapt register and formality to the journal's style preferences. |
| `polish_level` | `light` \| `standard` \| `deep` (default: `standard`) | Depth of revision applied. `light` corrects grammar and obvious errors only (Pass 1 only). `standard` applies all three passes. `deep` applies all three passes and additionally restructures sentences for maximum fluency, suggesting alternative phrasings where beneficial. |
| `preserve_meaning` | bool (default: `true`) | If `false`, allow more aggressive restructuring that may alter sentence framing while preserving the core argument. |
| `output_format` | `tracked_changes` \| `clean` \| `both` (default: `both`) | `tracked_changes` shows original → revised pairs for each changed sentence. `clean` shows polished text only. `both` shows tracked changes first, then the full polished text. |

### Parameter collection rule

If `domain` is not available from upstream context and has not been stated by the user, use the default (`tcm`) and proceed. Do not ask for optional parameters unless the user has explicitly mentioned a journal name or polish depth. If `text` is absent and no upstream `raw_text` exists, ask the user to paste the Chinese text.

## 3. Workflow

**Step 1 — Check upstream context.**
Inspect `context_output` first. If a prior module wrote `raw_text`, use it directly. Inherit `domain`, `target_journal`, and `language` without re-asking. If no upstream `raw_text` exists, ask the user to paste the Chinese text.

**Step 2 — Verify language.**
Check the pasted text for CJK characters. If the input is predominantly Latin script — defined as CJK characters comprising < 20% of total non-whitespace, non-punctuation characters (exclude Latin technical terms, gene names, and numeric notation from the denominator) — redirect: "检测到输入为英文，请使用 english-polisher 模块。" Do not attempt polishing.

**Step 3 — Confirm polish level and domain.**
Apply defaults if unspecified: `polish_level: standard`, `domain: tcm`. Record confirmed values for the output header.

**Step 4 — Load reference files.**
If `domain: tcm`, load `references/tcm-terminology-zh.md` (term pairs, syndrome rules, formula names). For all domains, load `references/academic-chinese-style.md` (vocabulary table, connector logic, structural patterns).

**Step 5 — Execute three-pass polish.**

- **Pass 1 — Grammar and syntax:** Fix misplaced or dangling modifiers. Remove redundant subject pronouns (avoid stacking 它/这/其 across adjacent sentences — restate the subject noun). Correct connector misuse: 所以→因此 (formal causality). Limit "的" modifier chains to ≤ 3 layers. Add explicit subject noun phrases where missing (e.g., "本研究") when the sentence subject differs from the preceding sentence. For `polish_level: light`, stop here and proceed to Step 6.
- **Pass 2 — Vocabulary and register:** Apply the colloquial-to-academic vocabulary table from `academic-chinese-style.md` (用→采用, 做→进行, 看→观察, etc.). Upgrade informal connectors to formal register: 但是→然而, 还有→此外, 然后→进而. If `domain: tcm`, apply TCM term standardization from `tcm-terminology-zh.md`: add 证 suffix to syndrome names, use full formula names (六味丸→六味地黄丸), correct syndrome component order. Remove embedded English words where an established Chinese equivalent exists. For `polish_level: light`, skip this pass.
- **Pass 3 — Sentence fluency:** Vary sentence length — alternate short (10–20 characters) with medium (25–40 characters); break sentences exceeding 60 characters without an internal comma. Audit logical connectors against actual relationships: causal → 因此/表明; contrast → 然而/尽管如此; additive → 此外/同时; progressive → 进而/在此基础上; summary → 综上所述. For `polish_level: deep`, additionally suggest alternative phrasings and review paragraph-level topic sentence placement ("本研究…" / "结果显示…" / "分析表明…"). For `polish_level: light`, skip this pass.

**Step 6 — Present output.**
Return the polished result under the header `[Chinese Polish — Domain: TCM | Level: Standard]` (substituting actual values). Apply `output_format` rules: if `tracked_changes` or `both`, list changed sentences as 原文：… / 修改：… pairs before the full polished text; if `clean`, omit the pairs. Include `[字数：原文 XX 字 → 修改后 YY 字]` at the end. Close with: "需要我调整润色强度、针对特定段落重新润色，或协助翻译成英文吗？"

## 4. Output Format

```
[Chinese Polish — Domain: TCM | Level: Standard]

## 修改对照

原文：本研究通过对60例患者进行了观察并对其进行了数据收集和分析后发现...
修改：本研究观察60例患者，收集并分析数据，结果发现...

原文：气血不足，肾虚，脾虚的患者预后较差。
修改：气血不足、肾虚证及脾虚证患者的预后较差。

[additional 原文/修改 pairs...]

---

## 润色后全文

[full polished text]

---

[字数：原文 847 字 → 修改后 821 字]
```

- In `tracked_changes` mode: show only the 原文/修改 pairs section, omit the full polished text.
- In `clean` mode: show only the 润色后全文 section, omit the pairs.
- In `both` mode (default): show pairs first, then the full polished text, then the word count.
- If no change was made to a sentence, do not include it in the pairs section.

## 5. context_output

### Reads from upstream

| Field | Source | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| `raw_text` | paper-writer, grant-writer, rebuttal-writer, zh-to-en (Chinese source), paper-reviewer | Primary input text for polishing; used without asking the user to paste |
| `target_journal` | any upstream module | Triggers journal register adaptation in Pass 2 and Pass 3 |
| `language` | any upstream module | Verified to be `zh`; if `en` detected, redirect to english-polisher |
| `domain` | any upstream module | Loads the correct terminology reference file in Step 4 |
| `parameters.*` | any upstream module | Inherits `domain`, `target_journal`, and `polish_level` if previously set |

### Writes to output

```json
{
  "module": "chinese-polisher",
  "domain": "<inherited or default: tcm>",
  "target_journal": "<inherited or null>",
  "language": "zh",
  "raw_text": "<polished text — overwrites upstream raw_text>",
  "summary": "<brief description: e.g., Standard Chinese polish, TCM domain, 847 characters, 12 grammar corrections, 8 vocabulary replacements>",
  "status": "success | partial | failed",
  "error_message": null,
  "parameters": {
    "domain": "<inherited or default: tcm>",
    "polish_level": "<collected or default: standard>",
    "preserve_meaning": true,
    "output_format": "<collected or default: both>"
  }
}
```

Downstream readers of `raw_text`: citation-checker, cover-letter-writer, english-polisher. Downstream readers of `summary`: cover-letter-writer.

## 6. References

See `references/` for:
- `tcm-terminology-zh.md` — Standardized TCM term pairs, syndrome naming rules, herb and formula naming conventions, and the six external pathogenic factors; loaded when `domain: tcm`
- `academic-chinese-style.md` — Colloquial-to-academic vocabulary table, connector logic table, structural patterns for Chinese academic prose, and common error patterns; loaded for all domains