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''Huaxia'' (華夏, ) is a historical concept representing the Chinese nation, and came from the self-awareness of a common cultural ancestry by the various confederations of pre-Qin ethnic ancestors of Han people.


Etymology

The earliest extant authentic attestion of the concept ''Huáxià'' is in the historical narrative and commentary Zuo zhuan (finished around 300 BCE). In Zuo zhuan, Huaxia refers to the central states (中國 '' Zhōngguó'') in the Yellow River valley, dwelt by the Huaxia people, ethnically equivalent to Han Chinese in pre-imperial discourses. According to
Confucianist Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
Kong Yingda's "True Meaning of '' Chunqiu Zuo zhuan''", ''xià'' () "grand" signified the "greatness" () in the ceremonial etiquettes of the central states, while ''huá'' () "flower" or "blossom" was used in reference to the "beauty" () in the clothing that those states' denizens wore.


History


Origin

Han historian Sima Qian asserts that Xia was the name of the state enfeoffed to legendary king Yu the Great, and Yu used its name as his
surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...
. In modern historiography, Huaxia refers to a confederation of tribes—living along the Yellow River—who were the ancestors of what later became the Han ethnic group in China. During the Warring States (475–221 BCE), the self-awareness of the Huaxia identity developed and took hold in ancient China. Initially, ''Huaxia'' defined mainly a civilized society that was distinct and stood in contrast to what was perceived as the barbaric peoples around them. The Huaxia identity arose in the Eastern Zhou period as a reaction to the increased conflict with the Rong and Di peoples who migrated into the Zhou lands and extinguished some Zhou states.


Modern usage

Although still used in conjunction, the
Chinese character Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...
s for ''hua'' and ''xia'' are also used separately as autonyms. The official Chinese names of both the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) use the term ''Huaxia'' in combination with the term ''Zhongguo'' (, translated as "Middle Kingdom"), that is, as ''Zhonghua'' (). The PRC's official Chinese name is ''Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo'' (), while that of the ROC is ''Zhonghua Minguo'' (). The term ''Zhongguo'' is confined by its association to a state, whereas ''Zhonghua'' mainly concerns culture. The latter is being used as part of the nationalist term '' Zhōnghuá Mínzú'' which is an all Chinese nationality in the sense of a multi-ethnic national identity. The term ''Huaren'' () for a Chinese person is an abbreviation of ''Huaxia'' with ''ren'' (, person). ''Huaren'' in general is used for people of Chinese ethnicity, in contrast to ''Zhongguoren'' () which usually (but not always) refers to citizens of China. Although some may use ''Zhongguoren'' to refer to the Chinese ethnicity, such usage is not common in Taiwan. In overseas Chinese communities in countries such as Singapore and
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
, ''Huaren'' or ''Huaqiao'' (overseas Chinese) is used as they are also not citizens of China.


See also

* Xia dynasty, the first dynasty according to traditional Chinese historiography. * Yanhuang, an ethnic group located around the Yellow River. ** Yan Huang Zisun, literally the "Descendants of Yan and Huang" * Zhongyuan, the central regions associated with Huaxia. * Names of China *
Zhonghua Zhōnghuá, Chung¹-hua² or Chunghwa is a term that means "''China''" or "''relating to China''" (), in a cultural, ethnic, or literary sense. It is used in the following terms: People's Republic of China * ', the Chinese name for the People' ...
* Hua–Yi distinction


Notes


References

{{Reflist Ancient peoples of China Chinese words and phrases Han Chinese Names of China