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中國

简中国 · 繁中國

Mandarin · pinyin Zhōng guó

China

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Characters in this entry

中: zhōng · central; center, middle; in the midst of; hit (target); attain
國: Look up this written character
国: guó · nation, country, nation-state

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–2 · Zhong1 guo2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

中國 · find source passages ↗ · 中国 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zung1 gwok3

Cantonese word readings for 中國. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

name · Etymology 1

China (a country in Asia; capital: Beijing)

noun · Etymology 1

(Classical) royal court; imperial court; imperial household; imperial government
(Classical) central part of a country (historically, commonly known as the capital city or the main region, where an emperor or other ruler resides)
(Classical) the Central Plain (area on the lower reaches of the Yellow River which formed the cradle of Chinese civilization)
(Classical) people of the Central Plain

name · Etymology 2

(～地方, ～地區) the Chūgoku region of Japan

noun · Etymology 3

(Buddhism) "central countries"; lands with advanced civilization and other conditions helpful for teaching Buddhism

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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