Guohua
/ɡwɔːˈhwɑː/noun
A traditional Chinese painting made with ink and colors, typically on paper or silk.
Did you know?The modern label guohua became especially important in the early twentieth century, when Chinese artists and critics used it to distinguish indigenous painting from imported Western techniques.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
國畫
“The characters later read guohua: 國 meant “state” or “country,” while 畫 meant “painting” or “to draw.””
Han Dynasty, 206 BCE–220 CE
Chinese
國
“國 was established in literary Chinese for a politically bounded state or realm.”
Middle Chinese, c. 6th–10th centuries
Middle Chinese
kuək ɣɛH
“The pronunciations of 國 and 畫 developed into forms ancestral to modern guó and huà.”
Early Modern Chinese, 17th–19th centuries
Chinese
國畫
“The compound could be understood literally as “national painting,” though its specialized modern art-category sense was not yet fully standardized.”
Early 20th Century
Modern Chinese
國畫 / guóhuà
“Artists and critics increasingly used guohua as a category for traditional Chinese painting in contrast with Western-style painting.”
Modern English
English
guohua
“An English loanword referring to traditional Chinese painting, especially ink-and-color works on paper or silk.”