“ 华夏”

华夏
• 华夏 is a historical concept representing the Chinese nation and
civilization, and came from the self-awareness of a common cultural
ancestry by the various confederacy (pre-Qin) era Han Chinese
people.
华+夏
• According to the 《左转》 , 夏 signified the “grandness” in the
ceremonial etiquette of China; while 华 was used in reference to the
"beauty" in the clothing that the Chinese people wore:
• 中国有礼仪之大，故称夏；有服章之美，谓之华。
• 中國有禮儀之大，故稱夏；有服章之美，謂之華

• 《左转》： an ancient Chinese narrative history that is traditionally

regarded as a commentary on the ancient Chinese chronicle Spring and
Autumn Annals ( 春秋 )
 华夏
• 华夏 refers to a confederation of tribes—living along the Yellow River
—who were the ancestors of what later became the Han ethnic group
in China.
• During the Warring States (475–221 BCE), the self-awareness of the 华
夏 identity developed and took hold in ancient China.Initially, 华夏
defined mainly a civilized society that was distinct and stood in contrast
to what was perceived as the barbaric peoples around them.
华夏
• Although still used in conjunction, the Chinese characters for 华 and
夏 are also used separately as autonyms.
• The official Chinese name of the People‘s Republic of China use the
term 华夏 in combination with the term 中国 , that is, as 中华
( 中华人民共和国 )
• Today, the term 中国 usually refers to the nation itself and 中华 to
the civilization.
华夏
• The term 华人 for a Chinese person is an abbreviation of 华夏
with 人 .
• 华人 in general is used for people of Chinese ethnicity, which is
distinct from 中国人 which refers to citizens of China.
• In overseas Chinese communities in countries such as Singapore and
Malaysia, 华人 or 华侨 (overseas Chinese) is used as they are not
citizens of China.
华侨 Huá qiáo
• 华侨 , refers to people of Chinese origin residing outside of China.
• At the end of the 19th century, the Chinese government realized
that the overseas Chinese could be an asset, a source of foreign
investment and a bridge to overseas knowledge; thus, it began to
recognize the use of the term 华侨 .
• The modern term 海归 refers to returned overseas Chinese and
归侨侨眷 to their returning relatives.
唐人 Táng Rén
• Among some southern Han Chinese varieties such as Cantonese,
Hakka and Minnan, a different term exists – 唐人 , literally "the
people of Tang", derived from the later Tang dynasty, regarded as
another zenith of Chinese civilization.
• The term is used in everyday conversation and is also an element in
the Cantonese word for Chinatown: "street of the Tang people" ( 唐人
街 Táng Rén Jiē).