震旦

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (震旦)		震	旦
simp. #(震旦)		震	旦
alternative forms		震丹 真丹 真旦 振旦 神丹

Etymology

First attested in the 3^rd–4^th centuries CE.

Borrowed from Sanskrit चीनस्थान (cīnasthāna), or a name etymologically related; compare Sogdian [script needed] (cynstʾn /⁠*čīnastan⁠/), Persian چینستان, Armenian Չինաստան (Čʻinastan), Ancient Greek Τζίνιστα (Tzínista).

Folk etymology interprets the this word orthographically, as a compound of 震 (zhèn, “one of the Eight Trigrams; the East”) + 旦 (dàn, “dawn; the direction of sunrise”), in reference to China's eastward position relative to India. For example, the Buddhist reference work Collection of Meanings and Terms in Translation (翻譯名義集) [12th century CE] has the following passage on the origin of this term:

東方屬震，是日出之方，故云震旦。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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东方属震，是日出之方，故云震旦。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

Dōngfāng shǔ zhèn, shì rìchū zhī fāng, gù yún Zhèndàn. [Pinyin]

The direction of east belongs to the trigram of Zhèn, and is the direction of sunrise, thus (China) is called Zhèndàn.

More discussion on the etymology of Zhèndàn can be found in Notes on Marco Polo (Vol. 1).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Zhèndàn

  (Zhuyin): ㄓㄣˋ ㄉㄢˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zan³ daan³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Zhèndàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄓㄣˋ ㄉㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Jhèndàn
    • Wade–Giles: Chên⁴-tan⁴
    • Yale: Jèn-dàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Jenndann
    • Palladius: Чжэньдань (Čžɛnʹdanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂən⁵¹⁻⁵³ tän⁵¹/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 震旦 震蛋 振旦

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zan³ daan³
    • Yale: jan daan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzan³ daan³
    • Guangdong Romanization: zen³ dan³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɐn³³ taːn³³/

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• Middle Chinese: tsyinH tanH

Rime
Character	震	旦
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	章 (23)	端 (5)
Final (韻)	眞 (43)	寒 (61)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	章刃切	得按切
Baxter	tsyinH	tanH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡ɕiɪnH/	/tɑnH/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡ɕinH/	/tɑnH/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡ɕjenH/	/tɑnH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/cinH/	/tanH/
Li Rong	/t͡ɕiĕnH/	/tɑnH/
Wang Li	/t͡ɕĭĕnH/	/tɑnH/
Bernard Karlgren	/t͡ɕi̯ĕnH/	/tɑnH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zhèn	dàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zan3	daan3

Proper noun

震旦

1. (archaic, religion) The name for China in ancient Indian records and some Chinese Buddhist texts.

Synonyms

• 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)

 

Related terms

• 支那 (Zhīnà)

References

• Ding, Fubao (丁福保) (1922), “支那” in 佛學大辭典 [A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms].