Hua（华） Xia （夏）
This is how the Chinese people refer to themselves.
Hua 华 = beautiful clothing
Xia 夏 = a sense of propriety.
I believe that four or five thousand years ago, our ancestors used this term to distinguish themselves from the “barbarians.”
The barbarians at that time probably still wore animal skins and also lacked political systems.
Interestingly, in the Chinese translation of the names of Western countries, the United States can be equated to “Hua” (美，beautiful), while England(Hero), Germany(Virtula), and France (Law ) roughly correspond to “Xia” (propriety).
This is because when Chinese people translate foreign languages, they consider not only the sound but also the meaning.
For example, in the Japanese translation, “America”(米) means “rice,” which matches the sound but makes the meaning confusing.
However, the Chinese translation using the character “美” (beautiful) is very good, as it works well for both sound and meaning.
“China” is what Westerners call our country.
Although it has been used for such a long time that I have grown attached to it and think it’s okay.
But the name I actually like the most is the one given to us by the Arabs.
桃花石(Tamghaj)
Peach Blossoms Stone.
（By AI）
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Finally, here’s something rather baffling: in Russian, China is called “Kitai” (Китай), which sounds like “Khitan” – a short-lived and not particularly powerful regime in Chinese history.
Some speculate that this might be due to an ancient Chinese name for China, “Zhendan” (震旦), with a shift from voiced to unvoiced consonants leading Russians to believe we were called “Khitan”?
I don’t buy it. That was 2,500 years ago – Russia didn’t even exist back then.
…
There are many theories about this, but personally, I believe it’s simply because when the Russian state was first emerging, the Chinese regime closest to them was indeed the Khitan. They probably thought: “The country to the south is called Khitan,” and recorded it that way.
Kind of like the term “Indians” for Native Americans?
I think that’s likely the case.
That said, the earliest Chinese translation of “Russia” was truly brilliant in both sound and meaning. It came from a Buddhist term meaning “war-loving demon,” and its pronunciation was incredibly close to “Russia.” If I were the translator, I wouldn’t have been able to resist either – it was too perfect!
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, this translation was abandoned. But honestly, I still think it’s a great one. I even wonder if Russians themselves might not necessarily oppose it.
“War-loving demon”!
I think it’s pretty cool!