中国

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See also: 中國

Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of 中国 – see 中國 (“middle country; central country; China; etc.”).
(This term is the simplified form of 中國).
Notes:

Japanese

Etymology 1

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ja
Kanji in this term
中 国
ちゅう
Grade: 1 		こく > ごく
Grade: 2
on'yomi
Alternative spelling
中國 (kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese 中國 (MC trjuwng kwok, literally “central country”). Compare modern Cantonese 中國／中国 (zung1 gwok3). Attested from at least the 12th century.[1]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Where the "China" sense first attested in a Japanese document?”)

Proper noun

中(ちゅう)国(ごく) • (Chūgoku) 

  1. China
    1. (historical or contemporary) any of several kingdoms, empires, or states of the Chinese people
      Hyponyms: 殷 (In), 周 (Shū), 秦 (Shin), 漢 (Kan), 唐 (Tō), 中華民国 (Chūka Minkoku)
      • c. 1120, Konjaku monogatari shū, scroll 6:
        造(つく)り奉(まつ)れる体(すがた)を見(み)るに、中(ちゅう)國(ごく)には不(ふ)似(に)ず、面(めん)胡(こ)国(こく)に似(に)たり。
        Tsukuri matsureru sugata o miru ni, Chūgoku ni wa fu-nizu, men kokoku ni nitari.
        Judging from the appearance , it is not unlike those in China, though the face resembles the northern nations.
    2. (especially in contemporary usage) short for 中華人民共和国 (Chūka Jinmin Kyōwakoku), the People's Republic of China
      • 1998 November 30 [1990 November 25], Fujiko F. Fujio, のび太(た)とアニマル惑星(プラネット) (大長編ドラえもん; 10), 22nd edition, volume 10 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 27:
        クニ？クニってなあに。
        Kuni? Kuni tte nāni.
        Country? What’s a country?
        アメリカとか中(ちゅう)国(ごく)とかいろいろあるじゃない。
        Amerika toka Chūgoku toka iroiro aru ja nai.
        You know, countries. There are a bunch of them like America and China.
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
中 国
ちゅう
Grade: 1 		こく > ごく
Grade: 2
on'yomi
Alternative spelling
中國 (kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese 中國 (MC trjuwng kwok). (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

Analyzable as a compound of 中 (chū, “center, middle”) +‎ 国 (koku, “province”). The koku changes to goku as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

Noun

中(ちゅう)国(ごく) • (chūgoku) 

  1. the central part of a country, historically, commonly known as the capital city or the main region, where an emperor or other ruler resides
  2. something within a country
  3. (historical) under the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system, a province of the third rank according to a four-rank system based on population and area
  4. (historical) under the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system, a province of the second rank according to the distance from the capital city
  5. collective term for the 山陽道 (San'yōdō) and 山陰道 (San'indō) regions of Japan
Derived terms

Proper noun

中(ちゅう)国(ごく) • (Chūgoku) 

  1. Short for 中国地方 (Chūgoku chihō): the Chūgoku region of Japan

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
中 国
なか
Grade: 1 		くに
Grade: 2
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
中國 (kyūjitai)

From 中 (naka, “center, middle”) +‎ 国 (kuni, “country”).

Proper noun

中(なか)国(くに) • (Nakakuni) 

  1. a surname

See also

References

  1. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Zhuang

Proper noun

中国

  1. Sawndip form of Cunghgoz
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