The trouble with the etymology of theory and the way in which the word has been used traditionally is that sometimes it actually means practice, and then at other historical periods it means something very different from practice, something typically from which practice is derived.

理论这个词在词源,和传统的使用方法上的复杂之处在于,它有时候指的是实践，但在特定的历史时期,它指的是和实践非常不同的东西，也就是实践产生的依据。

耶鲁公开课 - 文学理论导论课程节选