Guóyǔ
/ɡwɔ̌ː.jỳː/noun
A Chinese term meaning the national language, commonly referring to Standard Mandarin, especially in Taiwan.
Did you know?Guóyǔ became a major language-policy term in Republican China and remains the usual name for Standard Mandarin in Taiwan.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, c. 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
國語
“The language of the state or realm; literally, “state language.””
Classical Chinese, c. 2nd century BCE–2nd century CE
Classical Chinese
國語
“The title of the Zuo Zhuan-associated historical text traditionally known as the Discourses of the States.”
Middle Chinese, c. 7th century
Middle Chinese
國語
“The language of a kingdom or state; 國 meant “state” or “country,” and 語 meant “speech” or “language.””
Early 20th century
Modern Chinese
國語 / guóyǔ
“A standardized national language promoted in China after the fall of the Qing dynasty.”
20th century–present
English loanword
Guoyu
“A romanized Chinese term for Standard Mandarin, particularly the official Mandarin variety of Taiwan.”
Explore more surprising origins