Guanzhong
/kwan˥˥ ʈʂʊŋ˥˥/noun
A historical region in central China, centered on the Wei River valley and modern Shaanxi.
Did you know?Guanzhong was the power base of Qin, whose conquest of the region helped launch the Qin dynasty and China’s first imperial unification in 221 BCE.
Etymological Timeline
Late 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
關中
“A regional name meaning “within the passes,” referring to the enclosed Wei River basin west of major mountain passes.”
Warring States period
Classical Chinese
關中
“The strategically protected region associated especially with Qin power.”
221 BCE
Classical Chinese
關中
“The Qin heartland from which the Qin state completed the political unification of China.”
Han dynasty
Classical Chinese
關中
“The central western imperial region surrounding the capital area near Chang’an.”
Modern Mandarin
Mandarin
Guānzhōng
“The historical and geographic region centered on the Wei River valley in Shaanxi.”
Modern English
English
Guanzhong
“An established romanization used for the historical region of central China.”