Different Names of China
In China, common names for China include "Zhonghua" (中华) and "Zhongguo" (中国) , while "Han" (汉) and "Tang" (唐) are common names given for the Chinese ethnicity. Other names include Huaxia, Shenzhou and Jiuzhou.
In other parts of the world, many names of China exist, mainly transliterations of the dynasties "Qin" or "Jin" (e.g. China, Sino), and Han or Tang. There are also names for China based on a certain ethnic group other than Han, much like the Western rendering of all Arabs as "Saracens". Examples include "Cathay" based on the Khitan and "Tabgach" based on the Tuoba.
Zhongguo and Zhonghua
China is called Zhōngguó (also Romanized as Chung-kuo or Jhongguo) in Mandarin Chinese. The first character zhōng (中) means "central" or "middle," while guó (国) means "kingdom" or "nation". The term can be literally translated into English as "Middle Kingdom" or "Central Kingdom."
The name "zhōngguó" first appeared in the Classic of History as the name for "the centre of civilization" or "Tianxia", depending on the interpretation. The general concept of the term "zhōngguó" originates from the belief that the Zhou Dynasty is the "centre of civilization" or "centre of the world", much like the "Middle Earth" concept of Europeans, while the ethnic groups in the four cardinals are called Eastern Yi, Southern Man, Western Rong and Northern Di respectively.
Han
The name Han (汉 pinyin: hàn) comes from the Han Dynasty, who presided over China's first golden age. During the Sixteen Kingdoms and Southern and Northern Dynasties periods, various non-Chinese ethnic groups invaded from the north and conquered areas of North China, which they held for several centuries. It was during this period that people began to use the term "Han" to refer to the natives of North China, who (unlike the invaders) were the descendants of the subjects of the Han Dynasty.
During the Yuan Dynasty Mongolian ruler divided people into four classes: Mongolians, "Color-eyeds", Hans, and "Southerns". Northern Chinese were called Han, which was considered to be the highest class of Chinese. The name "Han" became popularly accepted.
Tang
The name Tang (唐; pinyin: táng) comes from the Tang Dynasty (唐朝), who presided over China's second golden age. 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 Tong-yan-gaai (唐人街 pinyin: tángrénjiē), or "Street of Tang People", while China is called Tong-saan (唐山), or "Tang Mountain". Cantonese people may also use Tang to refer exclusively to Cantonese themselves.
Huaxia
The name Huaxia (华夏 pinyin: huáxià) is the combination of two words:
- Hua which means prosper.
- Xia which could mean the Xia dynasty or grandiose.
This word has been widely used to refer to the Huang He river valley, by analogy with Zhonghua, which means "middle prosper", before Han became 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, in which whoever ends up reunifying China is said to have ruled Tianxia, or everything under heaven. This fits with the traditional Chinese theory of rulership in which the emperor was nominally the political leader of the entire world and not merely the leader of a nation-state within the world.
Jiangshan
Jiangshan (江山 pinyin: Jiāngshān) literally means "Rivers and mountains". This term is quite similar in usage to Tianxia, and simply refers to the entire world, and here the most prominent features of which being rivers and mountains. Use of this term is also common as part of the phrase "designing rivers and mountains" meaning maintaining and improving government and policy in the world.
Jiuzhou and Shenzhou
The name Jiuzhou (九州 pinyin: jiǔ zhōu) means "nine domains." The word originated during the middle of Warring States Period of China. During that time, the Huang He river region was divided into nine geographical regions; thus this name was coined.
Shenzhou means Divine Land (神州 pinyin Shénzhōu) and comes from the same period as Jiuzhou. It was thought that the world was divided into nine major states, one of which is Shenzhou, which is in turn divided into nine smaller states, one of which is Jiuzhou mentioned above.
Sihai
This name, Four Seas (四海 pinyin sìhǎi), is sometimes used to refer to the world, or simply China, which is perceived as the civilized world. It came from the ancient notion that the world is flat and surrounded by sea.
Dalu
Dalu (大陆 pinyin: dàlù), literally "great land", means "continent" or "mainland." It is often used to refer to Mainland China in a political context; Dalu encompasses the area under the control of the People's Republic of China, including off-shore islands.
