大秦
Chinese edit
| big great greater |
Qin | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (大秦) | 大 | 秦 | |
| simp. #(大秦) | 大 | 秦 | |
Etymology edit
- "Roman Empire"
- Attested in the Book of the Later Han (《後漢書·西域傳》) in a semi-legendary account as reported by the envoy Gan Ying (甘英). Pulleyblank (1999) believes that the name "[was] clearly not a transcription of a foreign word", and the identification remains vague. Unconvincingly, the passage in the Later Han attempts to explain:
- 其人民皆長大平正，有類中國，故謂之大秦。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Book of the Later Han, circa 5th century CE
- Qí rénmín jiē cháng dà píng zhèng, yǒu lèi Zhōngguó, gù wèizhī Dàqín. [Pinyin]
- Its people are all built tall, robust, balanced, and upright, resembling (the people) of the Zhongguo. For this reason it is called Daqin (the Great Qin).
其人民皆长大平正，有类中国，故谓之大秦。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]- In contrast, Zhang (1919) conjectured that the word may have indeed been a borrowing ultimately from Latium, Latinum, etc. (transcribed as 剌丁 in his writing) based on comparisons among Sinitic languages; see also the Baxter–Sagart reconstruction below. However, this etymology remains hypothetical.
- "Roman Levant; Syria region; etc."
- Used by 8th-century Syriac Christians themselves (see quotation below) after contact with Tang Chinese literati.
Pronunciation edit
Proper noun edit
大秦
- (historical and archaic, speculative, imprecise designation in Chinese historiography) the Roman Empire; the City of Rome; etc.
- (historical and archaic, imprecise designation in Chinese historiography) the Hellenistic or Greco-Roman world in general, the West
- 那先問王：「王本生何國？」王言：「我本生大秦國，國名阿荔散。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: c. 4th century, anonymous translator. Bhikkhu Nāgasena Sutta (《那先比丘經》), related to the Milinda Pañha text.
- Nàxiān wèn Wáng: “Wáng běnshēng héguó?” Wáng yán: “Wǒ běnshēng Dàqín guó, guó míng Ālìsàn.” [Pinyin]
- Nāgasena asks: "Where was Your Majesty born?" "I was born in Daqin, in a major city named Alexandria," says the King.
那先问王：「王本生何国？」王言：「我本生大秦国，国名阿荔散。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
- (historical and archaic, Chinese historiography) the Coele Syria or the Roman Levant; the Syria region under Roman dominion
- 神天宣慶，室女誕聖於大秦；景宿告祥，波斯睹耀以來貢。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: 781, Nestorian Stele Inscriptions (《大秦景教流行中國碑》). Translated by Alexander Wylie (偉烈亞力).
- Shéntiān xuānqìng, shìnǚ dànshèng yú Dàqín; jǐngxiù gàoxiáng, Bōsī dǔyào yǐ láigòng. [Pinyin]
- Angelic powers promulgated the glad tidings, a virgin gave birth to the Holy One in Syria;
A bright star announced the felicitous event, and Persians observing the splendor came to present tribute.
神天宣庆，室女诞圣于大秦；景宿告祥，波斯睹耀以来贡。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]