Changes

|s=中国

|s=中国

|t=中國

|t=中國

|l=Middle nation

|l=middle nation

|p=Zhōngguó

|p=Zhōngguó

|w=Chung¹-kuo²

|w=Chung¹-kuo²

}}

}}

The word "China" is derived from the [[Persian language|Persian]] word ''Cin'' (چین), which is from the [[Sanskrit]] word ''Cīna'' (चीन).<ref name="AmHer">"[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/China?qsrc=2888 China]". ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'' (2000). Boston and New York: Houghton-Mifflin.</ref> It is first recorded in 1516 in the journal of the Portuguese explorer [[Duarte Barbosa]].<ref>"China". ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (1989). ISBN 0-19-957315-8.<br />''[http://books.google.com.vn/books?id=edzW9fuOF-cC&pg=PA211&dq=#v=onepage&q=%22Very%20Great%20Kingdom%20of%20China%22&f=false The Book of Duarte Barbosa]'' (chapter title "The Very Great Kingdom of China"). ISBN 81-206-0451-2. In the [http://purl.pt/435/ Portuguese original], the chapter is titled "O Grande Reino da China".</ref> The journal was translated and published in England in 1555.<ref>Eden, Richard (1555). ''Decades of the New World'': "The great China whose kyng is thought the greatest prince in the world."</br>{{cite book | title=Western Views of China and the Far East, Volume 1 | publisher=Asian Research Service | year=1984 | page=34 |first=Henry Allen |last=Myers}}</ref> The traditional theory, proposed in the 17th century by Martino Martini, is that ''Cīna'' is derived from "Qin" (秦), the westernmost of the Chinese kingdoms during the [[Zhou Dynasty]].<ref name="Martini">Martino, Martin, ''Novus Atlas Sinensis'', Vienna 1655, Preface, p. 2.</ref> However, the word was used earlier in [[Hindu]] scripture, including the ''Mahābhārata'' (5th century BC) and the ''Laws of Manu'' (2nd century BC).<ref>Here the word may refer to a country located in the Tibetan-Burman borderlands east of [[India]].(See Liu, Lydia He, ''The Clash of Empires'', p. 77<br />Wade, Geoff. "[http://www.sino-platonic.org/complete/spp188_yelang_china.pdf The Polity of Yelang and the Origin of the Name 'China']". ''[[Sino-Platonic Papers]]'', No. 188, May 2009, p. 20.</ref> Indians were not aware of China at this time. Perhaps the name originally referred to a country near the Tibetan-Burma border and later transferred to China.

The word "China" is derived from the [[Persian language|Persian]] word ''Cin'' (چین), which is from the [[Sanskrit]] word ''Cīna'' (चीन).<ref name="AmHer">"[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/China?qsrc=2888 China]". ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'' (2000). Boston and New York: Houghton-Mifflin.</ref> It is first recorded in 1516 in the journal of the Portuguese explorer [[Duarte Barbosa]].<ref>"China". ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (1989). ISBN 0-19-957315-8.<br />''[http://books.google.com.vn/books?id=edzW9fuOF-cC&pg=PA211&dq=#v=onepage&q=%22Very%20Great%20Kingdom%20of%20China%22&f=false The Book of Duarte Barbosa]'' (chapter title "The Very Great Kingdom of China"). ISBN 81-206-0451-2. In the [http://purl.pt/435/ Portuguese original], the chapter is titled "O Grande Reino da China".</ref> The journal was translated and published in England in 1555.<ref>Eden, Richard (1555). ''Decades of the New World'': </br>{{cite book | title=Western Views of China and the Far East, Volume 1 | publisher=Asian Research Service | year=1984 | page=34 |first=Henry Allen |last=Myers}}</ref> The traditional theory, proposed in the 17th century by Martino Martini, is that ''Cīna'' is derived from "Qin" (秦), the westernmost of the Chinese kingdoms during the [[Zhou Dynasty]].<ref name="Martini">Martino, Martin, ''Novus Atlas Sinensis'', Vienna 1655, Preface, p. 2.</ref> However, the word was used earlier in [[Hindu]] scripture, including the ''Mahābhārata'' (5th century BC) and the ''Laws of Manu'' (2nd century BC). Indian writers were not aware of China until the second century AD. Earlier usage of the word presumably refers to another entity, perhaps a country near the Tibetan-Burma border.<ref>See Liu, Lydia He, ''The Clash of Empires'', p. 77<br />Wade, Geoff. "[http://www.sino-platonic.org/complete/spp188_yelang_china.pdf The Polity of Yelang and the Origin of the Name 'China']". ''[[Sino-Platonic Papers]]'', No. 188, May 2009, p. 20.</ref>

==People==

==People==