خىتاي
Uyghur edit
Etymology edit
From Chagatai خِطَایْ (xiṭāy), from Old Turkic 𐰶𐰃𐱃𐰪 (Qïtań), from Khitan 𘱿𘲫 (*qid ún). Cognate with English Cathay, Chinese 契丹 (Qìdān).
Noun edit
Other scripts | |
---|---|
Perso-Arabic | خىتاي |
Latin | xitay |
Cyrillic | хитай |
خىتاي • (xitay) (plural خىتايلار (xitaylar))
Proper noun edit
Other scripts | |
---|---|
Perso-Arabic | خىتاي |
Latin | Xitay |
Cyrillic | Хитай |
خىتاي • (Xitay)
Usage notes edit
Although this term for China is shared with most Central Asian and Slavic languages, whose forms of the name probably derive their -i and -y endings from Uyghur,[1] as it refers to an era of nomadic domination over the Han, it is formally prohibited within China and functions as a kind of racial slur.
References edit
- ^ Sinor, D. (1998) "The Kitan and the Kara Kitay" in History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Vol. IV, Pt. I, UNESCO, p. 241.