Drawing on the theory of media bias, this paper reexamines the evolution of the “wenzhi” debate in the Chinese translation of Buddhist scriptures amidst the popularization of paper during the Han and Jin dynasties. Before the widespread adoption of paper, time biased oral media dominated communication, emphasizing interpersonal transmission and accurate reproduction; as a result, the reciter’s personal memory constituted authority, leading to a translation orientation of “rejecting wen and preserving zhi”. After paper became prevalent, the space bias of written media became prominent, and the communication structure was increasingly subjected to public reading and individual intellectual scrutiny; the written source text and its doctrinal meaning became the authority, leading to a “balance between wen and zhi”. This demonstrates that media are not merely tools for translation; rather, their physical properties and inherent bias constitute a force shaping reflections on translation.