中華

Chinese

Wikipedia has articles on:

• 中華 (Written Standard Chinese^?)
• 中華 (搞清楚) (Cantonese)
• Chûng-fà (Hakka)
• Dṳ̆ng-huà (Eastern Min)
• Tiong-hôa-lí (Siông-san-khu) (Southern Min)

Etymology

So named because the first ancient Chinese settlements were around the Yellow River, which was considered to be the center, and because the culture was considered to be magnificent and flourishing.

First attested in Huan Wen's memorial recommending Qiao Xiu (dated ), quoted in Sun Sheng's lost Annals of Jin (晉陽秋) and later quoted in Pei Songzhi's Annotations to Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms .

於時皇極遘道消之會，群黎蹈顛沛之艱，中華有顧瞻之哀，幽谷無遷喬之望。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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于时皇极遘道消之会，群黎蹈颠沛之艰，中华有顾瞻之哀，幽谷无迁乔之望。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: Pei Songzhi, Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms, circa 5^th century CE

Yú shí huángjí gòu dàoxiāo zhī huì, qúnlí dǎo diānpèi zhī jiān, zhōnghuá yǒu gùzhān zhī āi, yōugǔ wú qiānqiáo zhī wàng.

At this time, the imperial court has encountered a time of decline in the Way, the peasants have been trampled down by oppressive hardships, Zhonghua has the anguish of looking backward , and the dark valley has no hope of moving upward.

Pei himself uses 中華 when annotating Chen's "Biography of Zhuge Liang"

若使游步中華，騁其龍光，豈夫多士所能沈翳哉！ [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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若使游步中华，骋其龙光，岂夫多士所能沈翳哉！ [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: Pei Songzhi, Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms, circa 5^th century CE

Ruò shǐ yóubù Zhōnghuá, chěng qí lóngguāng, qǐ fū duō shì suǒ néng chényì zāi!

(please add an English translation of this usage example)

Pronunciation

Proper noun

中華

1. (formal, poetic, exalted) China (the civilization of China; nowadays, the nation of the Chinese people)

   振興中華／振兴中华  ―  zhènxīng Zhōnghuá  ―  to revitalize China

   中華名小吃／中华名小吃  ―  Zhōnghuá míngxiǎochī  ―  famous Chinese snack

   中華文化／中华文化  ―  Zhōnghuá wénhuà  ―  Chinese culture

   中華文明／中华文明  ―  Zhōnghuá wénmíng  ―  Chinese civilization

   中華世紀壇／中华世纪坛  ―  Zhōnghuá shìjì tán  ―  China Millennium Monument

   • 自強胡陵暴，中華蕩覆，狼狽失據，權幸揚越。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     自强胡陵暴，中华荡覆，狼狈失据，权幸扬越。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 4th century, 桓溫 (Huan Wen), 請還都洛陽疏, in 648, Book of Jin

     Zì qiáng hú língbào, Zhōnghuá dàngfù, lángbèi shījù, quán xìng Yángyuè.

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 中華衣冠我着服，中華詩書我誦讀。我三師尊中華義諦聞亦多，白首常我中華歌。天下人，傾耳聽我中華歌。 [Korean Literary Sinitic, trad.]

     From: 《中華歌》("Song of zhonghua") by Yu Inseok, circa 1910

     중화의관^(을) 아착복^(하고) 중화시서^(를) 아송독^(하니라). 아삼사존중화의체^(를) 문역다^(하야) 백수상아중화가^(하니) 천하인^(아) 경이청아중화가^(하라).
     Junghwa uigwan a chakbok Junghwa siseo a songdok. A sam sa jon Junghwa uiche mun yeok da baeksu sang a Junghwa ga cheonha in gyeong'i cheong a Junghwa ga. [Sino-Korean]

     I wear the robes of zhonghua and recite the literature of zhonghua. I have indeed heard much from my three teachers about the reasons one should venerate zhonghua, so that even with hoary hair, I always sing of zhonghua. People of the world, lend me your ears; listen to my song for zhonghua.

2. (～里) An urban village in Songshan district, Taipei, Taiwan
3. Short for 中華臺北／中华台北 (Zhōnghuá Táiběi, “Chinese Taipei”).

   中華隊／中华队  ―  Zhōnghuá duì  ―  Team Chinese Tapei

Usage notes

• In traditional East Asian thought, 華／华 (Huá) or 中華／中华 (Zhōnghuá), often translated as "Chinese", has a philosophical connotation of civilizedness and decorous behavior that transcends a strictly ethnic definition. This is in opposition to "foreigners" or "barbarians", 夷 (yí) or 夷狄 (yídí), whose cultures are uncivilized and lacking in proper morality. Therefore, in certain contexts, other nations of the East Asian cultural sphere could refer to themselves as 中華／中华 (Zhōnghuá) in the sense that they were civilized people following the classical traditions first established in Ancient China, without meaning that they saw themselves as Chinese in an ethnic sense.
• Although also used in the formal names of both the Republic and People's Republic of China, the term carries a somewhat broader sense than 中國／中国 (Zhōngguó, “state of China”) and connotes something like the "nation of the Chinese people" or "land of the Chinese culture".

Synonyms

• (China):

Derived terms

Descendants

Others:

• → Indonesian: Tionghoa
• → Zhuang: Cunghvaz

Japanese

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ちゅ​うか (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

中(ちゅう)華(か) • (chūka) 

1. (Internet slang) product that is made by Chinese company

Adjective

中(ちゅう)華(か) • (chūka) 

1. (Internet slang) made by Chinese company

Proper noun

中(ちゅう)華(か) • (Chūka) 

1. (usually in compounds) China, Chinese (adjective)
2. Short for 中華料理 (chūka ryōri, “Chinese cuisine”).; Chinese

   今晩(こんばん)中華(ちゅうか)するか

   konban chūka suru ka

   Are we having Chinese food tonight?

Derived terms

References

Korean

Proper noun

中華 • (junghwa) (hangeul 중화)

1. Hanja form^? of 중화 (“China”).

Vietnamese

Proper noun

中華

1. chữ Hán form of Trung Hoa (“China”).