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Name of China in various languages |
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Name of China in various languagesThe different usages and names for China in world languages is generally consistent with how knowledge of China's existence first reached that culture, by two distinct routes:Most Chinese people (ie. those familiar with Chinese ethnic divisions)) carefully make a distinction between China proper — inhabited by ethnic Han Chinese (often referred to simply as "Chinese" outside of China), and China, which also includes Tibetans, Uighurs, Zhuang, Yanibanese Koreans, Mongols, Manchus, and many other Chinese ethnic groups. On the other hand, many others — particulary those advocating independence or greater autonomy for Tibet and other non-Han Chinese regions, tend to equate China with China proper. Han Chinese namesIn modern China, the term Zhongguo is used to refer to all of China, including China proper, Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet. By contrast, Han refers to the Han Chinese ethnic group, who are mostly concentrated in China proper, Manchuria, and only parts of the other 3 regions. There is no general Chinese term for just China proper, or just the territories inhabited by Han Chinese. Zhonghua is a more literary term used synonymously with Zhongguo; it appears in the official names of both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. Tang is used synonymously with Han among southern Chinese, though some restrict the term further to refer to just Cantonese or some other south Chinese language group. ZhongguoMiddle Kingdom (中國/中国 pinyin: zhōngguó) in Mandarin The Chinese traditionally positioned the emperor of China at the center of the world, conceiving concentric rings that extends from the cultural center to barbarlic borderlands. This notion was accepted in Korea, Vietnam and other countries to some degree, but not in the "northwestern crescent" that includes Mongolia, Turkestan and Tibet. They did not have terms to refer to this concept in the first place. The ROC and PRC impose it on them either by literal translation or transliteration. This word can be trace back as early as Zhou dynasty.
During the Yuan Dynasty Mongolian ruler divided people into four classes i.e. Mogolians, Color-eyeds, Hans and Southens. The northen Chinese were called Han who are the highest class of Chinese. The name of "Han" was became popular accepted. In Qing Dynasty Manchu ruler also used the name of Han to distinguish the local Chinese and Manchus. When the Republic was set up the Han became a nationality name. Today the term Han Chinese is used by the People's Republic of China to refer to the most populous of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups of China. "Han Chinese" is simply referred to as "Chinese" outside China, especially among advocates of independence for non-Han Chinese regions. Tang The name Tang (唐 pinyin: táng, Cantonese: tong4) comes from the Tang Dynasty, who presided over one of China's golden ages. It was during the Tang Dynasty that South China was finally and fully Sinicized; hence it is usually South Chinese who refer to themselves as "Tang". For example, Chinatowns worldwide are usually dominantly Cantonese; they are hence referred to generally as Tongyankai (唐人街 pinyin: tángrénjiē), or "Street of Tang People". The name Tongsau (唐手) (a form of martial arts similar to karate) also originates from the same source. Cantonese people may also use Tang to refer exclusively to Cantonese themselves. HuaxiaThe name Huaxia (华夏 pinyin: huáxià) is the combination of two words: This word has been widely used to refer to Huang He river valley similar to Middle Prosper before Han become popular. Tianxia Tianxia (天下 pinyin: tiānxià) literally means "under heaven". This term is usually used in the context of civil wars or periods of division, where whoever ends up reunifying China is said to have gotten tianxia, or everything under heaven. Although it was known since ancient times that that this is, geographically speaking, not strictly true, this metaphor is nevertheless very common in both ancient and modern usage. Jiuzhou The name Jiuzhou (九州 pinyin: jiǔ zhōu) means nine states. The word originate during the middle of Warring States Period of China. During the time, the Huang He river region was divided into 9 geographical regions. Thus name was thus coined. Consult Zhou for more information. Chixian ShenzhouDivine Land (神州 pinyin Shénzhōu) come from the same period as Jiuzhou. It was thought that the world was divided into 9 major states. Each of the 9 major states was divided into 9 small states. And one of the small state consists of the Jiuzhou mentioned above. This small state was called 赤县神州 (pinyin Chìxiàn-Shénzhōu) Red Territory and Divine Land.SihaiFour Seas (四海 pinyin sìhǎi) sometimes is used to refer to China, other times it simply means "the country". It come from the ancient thinking that land was surrounded by sea in all four directions.Other names Names used in Asia, especially East and Southeast Asia are usually derived directly from words in a language of China learned through the land-route. Those languages belonging to a former dependency (tributary) or Chinese-influenced country have especially similar pronunciation with those of Chinese. Those used in European languages have indirect names that came via the sea-route and bear little resemblance to what is used in China. ChinFrom Sanskrit Cin (IPA ), possibly derives from the name of the Qin Empire (2nd century BC). Marco Polo described China specifically as Chin, which is the word used in Persian, the main lingua franca on his route. Barbosa (1516) and Garcia de Orta (1563) mentioned China.
SinA name possibly of origin separate from "Chin" The name probably came to Europe through the Arabs, who made the China of the farther east into Sin, and perhaps sometimes into Thin. Hence the Thin of the author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, who appears to be the first extant writer to employ the name in this form; hence also the Sinæ and Thinae of Ptolemy. Some denied that the Sinæ of Ptolemy really represented the Chinese. But if we compare the statement of Marcianus of Heraclea (a mere condenser of Ptolemy), when he tells us that the "nations of the Sinae lie at the extremity of the habitable world, and adjoin the eastern Terra Incognita," with that of Cosmas, who says, in speaking of Tzinista, a name of which no one can question the application to China, that "beyond this there is neither habitation nor navigation" -- we cannot doubt the same region to be meant by both. The fundamental error of Ptolemy's conception of the Indian Sea as a closed basin rendered it impossible but that he should misplace the Chinese coast. But most scholar still believe Sinæ is China, because: SerAn earlier usage than Sin, possibly related.
CathayThis group of names derives from Khitan, an ethnic group that originated in Manchuria and conquered Northern China. Due to long domination of Northern China by these non-Chinese conquerors, it was considered by northwestern people as the land of the Khitan. In English and in several other European languages, the name "Cathay" became widely used for all of China largely as a result of translations of the adventures of Marco Polo, which used this word for northern China.
Tabgach"Tabgach" came from the metatheses of "Tuoba" (*takbat), a dominant tribe of the Xianbei. It referred to Northern China, which was dominated by half-Xianbei, half-Chinese people.
Rgya nag Tibetan: rgya nag MangiFrom Chinese Manzi (southern barbarians). The division of North China and South China under the Jinn Dynasty and Song Dynasty weakened the dogma that China should be unified, and it was common for a time to call the politically disparate North and South by different names. While Northern China was called Cathay, Southern China was referred to as Mangi. Manzi often appears in documents of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. The Mongols also called Southern Chinese "Nangkiyas" or "Nangkiyad", and considered them ethnically distinct (and inferior) from North Chinese. As Marco Polo used it, the word "Manzi" reached to the Western world as "Mangi".
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