中國
Chinese[edit]
middle; centre; within middle; centre; within; among; in; while (doing sth); during; China; Chinese; hit (the mark) |
country; state; nation | ||
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trad. (中國) | 中 | 國 | |
simp. (中国) | 中 | 国 | |
anagram | 國中/国中 | ||
Literally: “middle country; central country”. |
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Earliest attested on the Western Zhou bronze vessel He zun. See Names of China#Zhongguo.
- 隹珷王既克大邑商,𠟭廷吿于天,曰:余𠀠宅𢆶𠁩或,自之辥民。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]
- From: He zun inscription, translated by Pankenier (2013)
- Wéi Wǔwáng jì kè Dàyìshāng, zé tíng gào yú Tiān, yuē: yú qí zhái zī Zhōngguó, zì zhī yì mín. [Pinyin]
- When King Wu conquered the great city Shang, he then made reverent declarations to Heaven, saying: "Let me dwell in this, the central region, and from here govern the people."
Proper noun[edit]
中國
- China (a country in Asia; capital: Beijing)
- 中國和平崛起/中国和平崛起 ― Zhōngguó hépíng juéqǐ ― China's peaceful rise
- 中國社會科學院/中国社会科学院 ― Zhōngguó shèhuìkēxuéyuàn ― the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
- 中國典籍英譯/中国典籍英译 ― Zhōngguó diǎnjí yīngyì ― English translations of Chinese classics
- 干涉中國內政/干涉中国内政 ― gānshè Zhōngguó nèizhèng ― to interfere in China's internal affairs
Usage notes[edit]
This word referred to various states and regions throughout history:
- Western Zhou Dynasty [1046–771 BCE]:
- the region controlled by the Western Zhou Dynasty, covering the Guanzhong Plain in Shaanxi, as well as the basin between the Yellow River and the Luo River.
- Eastern Zhou Dynasty [770–221 BCE]:
- all of the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
- Since Qin Dynasty [221 BCE–1911 CE]:
- the land controlled by the imperial regime of the Central Plain - i.e. the ancestors of modern China.
- After the Xinhai Revolution [1911 CE]:
- After the founding of the People's Republic of China [1949 CE]:
Synonyms[edit]
- (China):
- 中 (abbreviation)
- 中原 (Zhōngyuán)
- 中國/中国 (Zhōngguó)
- 中華/中华 (Zhōnghuá)
- 九州 (Jiǔzhōu)
- 唐山 (Tángshān)
- 域中 (yùzhōng) (literary, figurative)
- 天下 (tiānxià) (lofty)
- 天朝 (Tiāncháo) (historical or Internet slang)
- 支那 (Zhīnà) (obsolete, now usually derogatory or offensive)
- 桃花石 (Táohuāshí) (obsolete)
- 猜拿 (transliteration of English China)
- 神州 (Shénzhōu) (literary)
- 種花家/种花家 (Zhònghuājiā) (slang, humorous)
- 脂那 (Zhīnà) (obsolete)
- 至那 (Zhìnà) (obsolete)
- 華/华 (abbreviation)
- 華夏/华夏 (Huáxià)
- 諸夏/诸夏 (Zhūxià)
- 諸華/诸华 (Zhūhuá)
- 赤縣/赤县 (Chìxiàn) (literary)
- 赤縣神州/赤县神州 (Chìxiàn Shénzhōu) (literary)
- 震旦 (Zhèndàn) (archaic)
Derived terms[edit]
- 中國中心主義/中国中心主义 (Zhōngguó zhōngxīn zhǔyì)
- 中國之春/中国之春
- 中國人/中国人 (Zhōngguórén)
- 中國人民的老朋友/中国人民的老朋友 (Zhōngguó rénmín de lǎopéngyou)
- 中國人民解放軍/中国人民解放军 (Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn)
- 中國佬/中国佬 (zhōngguólǎo)
- 中國僑聯/中国侨联 (Zhōngguó Qiáolián)
- 中國內地/中国内地 (Zhōngguó nèidì)
- 中國共產黨/中国共产党 (Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng)
- 中國化/中国化 (zhōngguóhuà)
- 中國圖/中国图 (zhōngguótú)
- 中國城/中国城 (zhōngguóchéng)
- 中國大陸/中国大陆 (Zhōngguó dàlù)
- 中國威脅論/中国威胁论 (Zhōngguó wēixiélùn)
- 中國字/中国字 (zhōngguózì)
- 中國學/中国学 (Zhōngguóxué)
- 中國崩潰論/中国崩溃论 (Zhōngguó bēngkuìlùn)
- 中國工農紅軍/中国工农红军 (Zhōngguó Gōngnóng Hóngjūn)
- 中國式/中国式 (Zhōngguóshì)
- 中國性/中国性 (zhōngguóxìng)
- 中國文字/中国文字
- 中國本土/中国本土 (Zhōngguó běntǔ)
- 中國海/中国海 (Zhōngguóhǎi)
- 中國特色/中国特色 (Zhōngguó tèsè)
- 中國畫/中国画 (Zhōngguóhuà)
- 中國科大/中国科大 (Zhōngguó Kēdà)
- 中國科學院/中国科学院
- 中國結/中国结 (zhōngguójié)
- 中國芒/中国芒 (zhōngguómáng)
- 中國菜/中国菜 (Zhōngguócài)
- 中國話/中国话 (zhōngguóhuà)
- 中國語/中国语 (zhōngguóyǔ)
- 中國超新星/中国超新星
- 中國通/中国通 (Zhōngguótōng)
- 中國風/中国风 (zhōngguófēng)
- 中媒 (zhōngméi)
- 傷害中國人民的感情/伤害中国人民的感情 (shānghài Zhōngguó rénmín de gǎnqíng)
- 新中國/新中国 (Xīnzhōngguó)
- 自由中國/自由中国 (Zìyóu Zhōngguó)
- 舊中國/旧中国 (Jiùzhōngguó)
- 赤色中國/赤色中国
Noun[edit]
中國
- (Classical Chinese) royal court; imperial court; imperial household; imperial government
- (Classical Chinese) central part of a country (historically, commonly known as the capital city or the main region, where an emperor or other ruler resides)
- 惠此中國,以綏四方。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Huì cǐ zhōngguó, yǐ suí sìfāng. [Pinyin]
- Let us cherish this centre of the kingdom,
To secure the repose of the four quarters of it.
惠此中国,以绥四方。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
- (Classical Chinese) the Central Plain (area on the lower reaches of the Yellow River which formed the cradle of Chinese civilization)
- 吾聞中國之君子,明乎禮義而陋於知人心。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE
- Wú wén Zhōngguó zhī jūnzǐ, míng hū lǐyì ér lòu yú zhī rénxīn. [Pinyin]
- I have heard that the superior men of these Middle States understand the (subjects of) ceremony and righteousness, but are deplorably ignorant of the minds of men.
吾闻中国之君子,明乎礼义而陋于知人心。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
- (Classical Chinese) people of the Central Plain
Synonyms[edit]
- (royal court):
- (central part of a country): (archaic) 國中/国中 (guózhōng)
- (the Central Plain): 中土 (Zhōngtǔ), 中原 (Zhōngyuán), 中州 (Zhōngzhōu)
Descendants[edit]
Others:
- → Bouyei: Zungyguef
- → English: Middle Kingdom (calque)
- → Finnish: Keskustan valtakunta (calque)
- → French: Empire du Milieu (calque)
- → German: Reich der Mitte (calque)
- → Hlai: Dongxgok (via Hainanese)
- → Indonesian: Tiongkok (via Hokkien)
- → Kyrgyz: Жуңго (Juŋgo)
- → Lü: ᦷᦋᧂᧈᦷᦅᧉ (tsong¹ko²)
- → Manchu: ᡩᡠᠯᡳᠮᠪᠠᡳ
ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ (dulimbai gurun) (calque) - → Mongolian: ᠳᠤᠮᠳᠠᠳᠤ
ᠤᠯᠤᠰ (dumdadu ulus) (calque) - → Portuguese: Reino Médio, Reino do Meio (calque) (calque)
- → Sichuan Yi: ꍏꇩ (zho guop)
- → Tibetan: ཀྲུང་གོ (krung go)
- Dzongkha: ཀྲུང་ཀོ (krung ko)
- → Uyghur: جۇڭگو (junggo), Җуңго (Junggo) (Cyrillic)
- Wutunhua: zhungo
- → Zhuang: Cunghgoz, Cungguek
Etymology 2[edit]
Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 中国 (Chūgoku), from Chinese 中國 (MC trjuwng kwok, “the central part of a country”).
Proper noun[edit]
中國
- (~地方, ~地區) the Chūgoku region of Japan
- 這裡的中國是指日本的中國地方,即指本州西部的岡山、廣島、山口、島根、鳥取5縣。 [MSC, trad.]
- From: 2004, 于沛, 中国社会科学院世界历史研究所学术论文集(1964-2004):古代中世纪卷[1]
- Zhèlǐ de Zhōngguó shì zhǐ Rìběn de Zhōngguó Dìfāng, jí zhǐ Běnzhōu xībù de Gāngshān, Guǎngdǎo, Shānkǒu, Dǎogēn, Niǎoqǔ 5 xiàn. [Pinyin]
- Here, 中國/中国 (Zhōngguó) refers to the Chūgoku region of Japan, or the five prefectures of Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Shimane, and Tottori that lay in the western region of Honshū.
这里的中国是指日本的中国地方,即指本州西部的冈山、广岛、山口、岛根、鸟取5县。 [MSC, simp.]
Etymology 3[edit]
Semantic loan from Sanskrit मध्यदेशे m sg (madhyadeśe, locative, literally “in the Middle Country”) (Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā; see Karashima, 2010) or मध्येषु जनपदेषु m pl (madhyeṣu janapadeṣu, “in [the] central countries”) (Abhidharmakośakārikā); as opposed to the 邊地/边地 (biāndì, “borderlands; frontiers”), from Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit प्रत्यन्तिम (pratyantima) / प्रत्यन्त (pratyanta) or Pali paccantima. Cognate to the Pali majjhimesu janapadesu (locative, literally “in the middlemost countries”) in the text parallel to the Ekottara Āgama in the Pali Canon.
Noun[edit]
中國
- (Buddhism) "central countries"; lands with advanced civilization and other conditions helpful for teaching Buddhism
Japanese[edit]
Kanji in this term | |
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中 | 國 |
ちゅう Grade: 1 |
こく > ごく Jinmeiyō |
on’yomi |
For pronunciation and definitions of 中國 – see the following entry. | ||||
| ||||
(This term, 中國, is the kyūjitai of the above term.) |
Korean[edit]
Hanja in this term | |
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中 | 國 |
Proper noun[edit]
Vietnamese[edit]
chữ Hán in this term | |
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中 | 國 |
Proper noun[edit]
中國
- chữ Hán form of Trung Quốc (“China”).
Zhuang[edit]
Proper noun[edit]
中國
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