Giao Châu
/zaːw˧˧ tɕəw˧˧/noun
A historical name for a region and administrative province centered in northern Vietnam and parts of southern China.
Did you know?Giao Châu was not originally a mystical Vietnamese term but a Sino-Vietnamese reading of the Chinese administrative name 交州, used by Chinese imperial governments for a strategically important southern region.
Etymological Timeline
2nd Century BCE
Chinese
交趾 (Jiaozhi)
“A southern frontier region; the name is traditionally interpreted as referring to crossed or intersecting toes, though its original geographic sense is debated.”
2nd Century BCE–3rd Century CE
Chinese
交州 (Jiaozhou)
“A southern administrative province; 州 meant a territorial division or province, while 交 formed the inherited regional name.”
7th–10th Centuries
Classical Chinese / Sino-Vietnamese
Giao Châu
“The Vietnamese reading of 交州, used for the historical province and surrounding region.”
10th–15th Centuries
Vietnamese
Giao Châu
“A historical-geographical designation associated with northern Vietnam and the former Chinese-administered south.”
Modern English
English
Giao Chau / Jiaozhou
“A historical name usually referring to the ancient Chinese administrative region or its Vietnamese historical counterpart.”