# Etymology By [marniemate01](https://paragraph.com/@marniemate01) · 2021-10-29 --- The word "China" has been used in English since the 16th century; however, it was not a word used by the Chinese themselves during this period in time. Its origin has been traced through [Portuguese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_people), [Malay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malays_\(ethnic_group\)), and [Persian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_people) back to the Sanskrit word _Chīna_, used in [ancient India](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_India).[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-OED-35) "China" appears in [Richard Eden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Eden)'s 1555 translation[\[l\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-38) of the 1516 journal of the [Portuguese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_empire) [explorer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_exploration) [Duarte Barbosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duarte_Barbosa).[\[m\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-41)[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-OED-35) Barbosa's usage was derived from [Persian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_language) _Chīn_ ([چین](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%DA%86%DB%8C%D9%86)), which was in turn derived from [Sanskrit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit) [_Cīna_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinas) ([चीन](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E0%A4%9A%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A8)).[\[29\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-AmHer-42) _Cīna_ was first used in early [Hindu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu) scripture, including the [_Mahābhārata_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah%C4%81bh%C4%81rata) (5th century BCE) and the [_Laws of Manu_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manusm%E1%B9%9Bti) (2nd century BCE).[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-wade-43) In 1655, [Martino Martini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martino_Martini) suggested that the word China is derived ultimately from the name of the [Qin dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty) (221–206 BCE).[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-Martini-44)[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-wade-43) Although usage in Indian sources precedes this dynasty, this derivation is still given in various sources.[\[32\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-45) The origin of the Sanskrit word is a matter of debate, according to the _Oxford English Dictionary_.[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-OED-35) Alternative suggestions include the names for [Yelang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yelang) and the [Jing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_\(state\)) or Chu state.[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-wade-43)[\[33\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-46) The official name of the modern state is the "People's Republic of China" ([simplified Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters): [中华人民共和国](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E%E4%BA%BA%E6%B0%91%E5%85%B1%E5%92%8C%E5%9B%BD); [traditional Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_characters): [中華人民共和國](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%B8%AD%E8%8F%AF%E4%BA%BA%E6%B0%91%E5%85%B1%E5%92%8C%E5%9C%8B); [pinyin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin): [_Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó_](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Zh%C5%8Dnghu%C3%A1_R%C3%A9nm%C3%ADn_G%C3%B2ngh%C3%A9gu%C3%B3)). The shorter form is "China" [_Zhōngguó_](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Zh%C5%8Dnggu%C3%B3) ([中国](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD); [中國](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B)) from _zhōng_ ("central") and _guó_ ("state"),[\[n\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-49) a term which developed under the [Western Zhou](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou) dynasty in reference to its [royal demesne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demesne).[\[o\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-51) It was then applied to the area around [Luoyi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luoyi) (present-day Luoyang) during the [Eastern Zhou](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Zhou) and then to China's [Central Plain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Plain_\(China\)) before being used as an occasional synonym for the state under the [Qing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty).[\[35\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-wilx-48) It was often used as a cultural concept to distinguish the [Huaxia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huaxia) people from [perceived "barbarians"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua-Yi_distinction).[\[35\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-wilx-48) The name _Zhongguo_ is also translated as "Middle Kingdom" in English.[\[37\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-52) China (PRC) is sometimes referred to as [the Mainland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_China) when distinguishing the [ROC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China) from the PRC\*\*.\*\* --- *Originally published on [marniemate01](https://paragraph.com/@marniemate01/etymology)*