History of the Names

English Names

    The word "China" is derived from Cin (چین), a Persian name for China popularized in Europe by the 14th-century explorer Marco Polo.The first recorded use in English dates from 1555.The Persian word is, in turn, thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word Cīna (चीन), which was used as a name for China as early as AD 150. The traditional theory, proposed in the 17th century by Martino Martini, is that this word is derived from Qin (Chinese: 秦), the westernmost of the Chinese kingdoms during the Zhou Dynasty, or from the succeeding Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC).

Chinese Names 

        In China, common names for the country include Zhongguo (Chinese:中国; literally "Middle Kingdom") and Zhonghua (Chinese:中华). The official name of China changed with each dynasty or with each new government. The term Zhongguo appeared various ancient texts such as the Classic of History (6th century BCE), and in earlier times the term was used in various senses. In pre-imperial times, it was often as a cultural concept to distinguish the Huaxia from the barbarians. Sometimes Zhongguo, which can be either singular or plural, referring to the group of states in the central plain. The Chinese were not unique in regarding their country as "central", since other civilizations had the same view.

     Zhongguo was used as a common name for the Republic of China (simplified Chinese: 中华民国; traditional Chinese: 中華民國; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó) after its establishment in 1912. After the Communists took over control of mainland China in 1949, they established the People's Republic of China (simplified Chinese: 中华人民共和国; traditional Chinese: 中華人民共和國; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó). The PRC's official abbreviation is "中国."