你知道中国为什么叫“中国”吗？
Do you know why China is called “China”?
In fact, a long time ago, the country did not call itself “Zhōngguó” (China). Compared with the name of the state, people cared more about the name of the ruling dynasty — for example, the Qin, Han, or Tang dynasties.
这样一直到明朝，随着对外交流越来越多，中国渐渐开始与东南亚、南亚甚至非洲东海岸的各国进行贸易和交流。
This began to change during the Ming dynasty. As overseascontact increased, China started trading and interacting more frequently with regions in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and even the east coast of Africa.
这样一来，对外关系也发生了变化。以前很多国家通过朝贡体系与中国往来，以中国为中心；而明朝开始主动与各国平等交往。
As a result, foreign relations also changed. In the past,many neighboring states communicated with China through the tributary system, which placed China at the center. During the Ming period, however, China began to engage with other countries more actively and on more equal terms.
这样，就需要一个统一的对外称呼，而不是只说朝代名称。“中国”逐渐被用来指整个国家，但还不是正式国名。
Because of this, a unified name was needed for international use, rather than simply referring to the current dynasty. “Zhōngguó” gradually came to represent the whole country, though it was not yet an official state name.
到了清朝晚期，在与西方国家签订条约时，“中国”开始正式作为国家名称使用。这一名称也一直沿用至今。
In the late Qing dynasty, when treaties were signed with Western powers, “Zhōngguó” began to be used formally as the country’s name. This designation has continued to the present day.
那么，“中国”这个词为什么会被选中呢？其实这个词在三千多年前就已经出现，指的是“中央之地”，也就是天子所在的都城。
So why was the word “Zhōngguó” chosen? The term actually appeared more than 3,000 years ago and originally meant “the central land,” referring to the capital where the Son of Heaven ruled.
后来，“中国”的意义逐渐扩大，从中央都城变成天子统治的土地，再到华夏民族生活的区域。
Over time, its meaning expanded — from the royal capital tothe territory ruled by the emperor, and later to the regions inhabited by the Huaxia people.
During the Han dynasty, the historian Sima Qian used “Zhōngguó” in Records of the Grand Historian to refer to the lands ruledby successive dynasties, giving the term a meaning that transcended individual eras.
*This article is a summary of the podcast “Why Is China Called Zhōngguó?”
For the full experience, please visit the podcast section (Episodes 1 & 2).
