西方音乐理论是通过音乐文献翻译而被传入中国的。半音和变音是西方重要的音乐理论术语，这两个术语所代表的概念并不复杂。但是，长久以来许多音乐学者常混淆半音和变音这两个术语在概念上的区别，其译作或著作中普遍错误地把变音译成或看成半音，或者把变音与半音混为一谈。出现这种现象的原因，从源头上看，是早期文献翻译中的术语误译所导致的。文章对日本和中国的译作中与chromatic一词有关联的汉译术语进行了梳理，以此为基础，也对国内学者的著述中误用的相关术语进行了梳理，并且对相关外文术语的正确翻译和运用提供了建议。

Western music theory was introduced to China through the translation of music literature.Semitone and chromatic are important music theory terms in the West.The concepts represented by these two terms are not complicated.However,for a long time,many Chinese music scholars have often confused the conceptual differences between semitone and chromatic.In their translations or writings,they have generally wrongly translated chromatic[变音]as semitone[半音]or confused chromatic with semitone.The reason for this phenomenon,from the source,is the misinterpretation of terms in early translations.This article has systematically reviewed the Chinese translations of terms related to the word“chromatic”in Japanese and Chinese translations,and on this basis,also sorts out the misuse of the related terms in the works of domestic scholars,and provides suggestions for the correct translation and application of the relevant foreign terms.