支那

Chinese

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Zhīnà

  (Zhuyin): ㄓ ㄋㄚˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi¹ naa⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): Chṳ̂-na
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): Chi-ná
• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹tsy-na

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Zhīnà
    • Zhuyin: ㄓ ㄋㄚˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Jhihnà
    • Wade–Giles: Chih¹-na⁴
    • Yale: Jr̄-nà
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Jynah
    • Palladius: Чжина (Čžina)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ nä⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zi¹ naa⁴
    • Yale: jī nàh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi¹ naa⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji¹ na⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː⁵⁵ naː²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Chṳ̂-na
    • Hakka Romanization System: zii^ˊ na
    • Hagfa Pinyim: zi¹ na⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sɨ²⁴⁻¹¹ na⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chi-ná
    • Tâi-lô: Tsi-ná
    • Phofsit Daibuun: cinar
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² nã⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡si³³ nã⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² nã⁵³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ nã⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ nã⁴¹/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹tsy-na
    • MiniDict: tsy^平 na
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹tsr-na
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡sz̩⁵⁵ na²¹/

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• Middle Chinese: tsye na

Rime
Character	支	那
Reading #	1/1	1/3
Initial (聲)	章 (23)	泥 (8)
Final (韻)	支 (11)	歌 (94)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	章移切	諾何切
Baxter	tsye	na
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡ɕiᴇ/	/nɑ/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡ɕiɛ/	/nɑ/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡ɕjɛ/	/nɑ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ciə̆/	/na/
Li Rong	/t͡ɕie/	/nɑ/
Wang Li	/t͡ɕǐe/	/nɑ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/t͡ɕie̯/	/nɑ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zhī	nuó
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zi1	no4

Etymology 1

		phonetic
simp. and trad. (支那)		支	那
alternative forms		脂那 至那 芝那

From Sanskrit चीन (cīna), which in turn is likely from Old Chinese 秦 (*zin), but other theories have been proposed, including derivation from 晉／晋 (jìn, “Jin”) < Middle Chinese 晉 (t͡siɪn^H) < Old Chinese 晉 (*ʔsins) (Zhengzhang, 2006), 荊／荆 (jīng, “Jing”), or the Zina of 夜郎 (Yèláng, “Yelang”). Cognate with English China. See "Names of China", "Chinas" and "Shina (word)" at Wikipedia.

Proper noun

支那

1. (originally neutral, now derogatory and offensive) China

   • 支那曩者苦滿清虐政，國民共起革專制為共和。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     支那曩者苦满清虐政，国民共起革专制为共和。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1914, Sun Yat-sen, 《致日本首相大隈重信勸助中國革命函》

     Zhīnà nǎng zhě kǔ Mǎnqīng nüèzhèng, guómín gòng qǐ gé zhuānzhì wèi gònghé. [Pinyin]

     China suffered from the Manchurian Qing tyranny in the past, and so the people of the nation rose up, overthrew the autocrat and established the republic.

Usage notes

• Originally used in ancient Indian records and some Chinese Buddhist texts. This term was popular in China as a neutral word after the Meiji Restoration, but became derogatory and offensive during and after the Second Sino-Japanese War due to its association with Japanese war crimes. Now it is usually only used in some technical terms, such as 印度支那 (Yìndù-Zhīnà, “Indochina”) and 交趾支那 (Jiāozhǐ-Zhīnà, “Cochinchina”), or by Hong Kong and Taiwan independence activists as a deliberate slur for mainland China.

Derived terms

• 交趾支那 (Jiāozhǐ-Zhīnà)
• 印度支那 (Yìndù-Zhīnà)
• 支語／支语 (zhīyǔ)
• 支那人 (zhīnàrén)
• 支那語／支那语 (zhīnàyǔ)
• 支那通 (zhīnàtōng)
• 滯臺支那人／滞台支那人 (zhì Tái zhīnàrén)
• 貴支／贵支 (guìzhī)

 

Related terms

• 震旦 (Zhèndàn)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (支那):

• → Japanese: 支(し)那(な) (Shina)
• → Korean: 지나(支那) (Jina)
• → Vietnamese: Chi Na (支那)

See also

• Thesaurus:中國

Etymology 2

		phonetic
simp. and trad. (支那)		支	那

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

支那

1. (～鄉) Zhina (a township in Yingjiang, Dehong prefecture, Yunnan, China)

References

• Ding, Fubao (丁福保) (1922), “支那” in 佛學大辭典 [A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms].

Further reading

• 支那 on the Chinese Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^zh
• Shina (word) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Japanese

Kanji in this term
支	那
し Grade: 5	な Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative forms

• シナ

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 支那 (MC tsye na), a phonetic transcription of Sanskrit चीन (cīna), itself likely deriving from Old Chinese 秦 (*zin), the name of the Qin Dynasty and the Qin state.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɕina̠]

Proper noun

支(し)那(な) or 支那(シナ) • (Shina) 

1. (prewar, often considered derogatory, offensive in modern speech, ethnic slur) China
2. (offensive, ethnic slur) Ryukyuan people

Usage notes

The kanji spelling 支那 was more common historically, and is still encountered with some frequency when this word is used. Modern usage includes シナ in katakana. However, this term as a whole is used less frequently than in the past, due to changes in geopolitics and the use of this word as an ethnic slur.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 東(ひがし)支(し)那(な)海(かい) (Higashi Shina Kai): East China Sea
• 南(みなみ)支(し)那(な)海(かい) (Minami Shina Kai): South China Sea
• 支(し)那(な)蕎(そ)麦(ば) (Shina soba): Chinese noodles, ramen
• 支(し)那(な)竹(ちく) (Shina chiku): menma (cooked bamboo sprout, a kind of ramen topping)
• 支(し)那(な)薄(うす)色(いろ)海豚(いるか) (Shina usuiro iruka): Chinese white dolphin

Korean

Hanja in this term
支	那

Proper noun

支那 • (Jina) (hangeul 지나)

1. hanja form^? of 지나 (“(prewar, often considered derogatory in modern speech) China”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
支	那

Proper noun

支那

1. chữ Hán form of Chi Na (“China”).