中华人民共和国
Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó
The English phrase People's Republic of China is translated into Chinese as 中华人民共和国 (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó).
中华人民共和国 is the official name of the country. While this is the full formal designation, most people in both formal and informal speech simply use 中国 (Zhōngguó) to refer to the nation.
Meaning: official name of China (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 共和国 (Gònghéguó) within the phrase is the literal translation for 'republic'.
Which one should you use?
中华人民共和国 is the full official name, whereas 中国 (Zhōngguó) is the standard, commonly used name for the country in both formal and informal speech.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term 中华人民共和国 remains the same throughout China regardless of region.
How do you pronounce it?
Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó
Did you know?
- In the word 中国 (Zhōngguó), the character 中 (zhōng) means 'center' and 国 (guó) means 'country', making the name literally the 'Middle Kingdom'.
- The first three characters, 中华 (Zhōnghuá), do not merely mean 'China' but refer specifically to the 'splendor' or 'magnificence' of the Chinese people and culture.
- The term 共和国 (Gònghéguó) for 'republic' contains a character 和 (hé) which also means 'harmony' and is the same word used for 'peace'.
Examples in context
- 中国，全名中华人民共和国，位于亚洲东部，太平洋西岸。China, otherwise known as the People's Republic of China, is located in east Asia, on the western coast of the Pacific ocean.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 中华人民共和国 when providing the full name of the country in a geographical context.Tatoeba #6010155 by szilviez, translation #8853750 by iiujik
- 中华人民共和国的国旗是红色的。Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó de guóqí shì hóngsè de.The flag of the People's Republic of China is red.
- 他正在学习关于中华人民共和国的历史。Tā zhèngzài xuéxí guānyú Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó de lìshǐ.He is studying the history of the People's Republic of China.
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Xiaowen are filling out official travel forms.
- 志强 Zhiqiang晓雯，这里该填国籍吗？Xiǎowén, zhèlǐ gāi tián guójí ma?Xiaowen, should I fill in the nationality here?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen是的，请写中华人民共和国。Shì de, qǐng xiě Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó.Yes, please write People's Republic of China.
- 志强 Zhiqiang只写中国不行吗？Zhǐ xiě Zhōngguó bùxíng ma?Is it not okay to just write China?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen这是正式文件，要写全称。Zhè shì zhèngshì wénjiàn, yào xiě quánchēng.This is an official document, so you need to write the full name.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
