Guomindang
/ˌɡwɔːmɪnˈdɑːŋ/noun
The Chinese Nationalist Party, founded in 1912 and historically associated with the Republic of China.
Did you know?The Guomindang emerged from revolutionary networks that overthrew China’s Qing dynasty in 1911, transforming the idea of the “nation” into a modern political force.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
國民黨
“The characters separately expressed “state,” “people,” and “political faction or party”; the modern compound was created in a political context much later.”
Late 19th Century
Chinese
guómín
““The nation’s people” or “the national populace,” a modern political expression influenced partly by translated Western political vocabulary.”
1905
Chinese
同盟會
“Tongmenghui, the Revolutionary Alliance founded by Sun Yat-sen; it was the principal predecessor of the Guomindang.”
1912
Chinese
國民黨 / Guómíndǎng
““National People's Party,” the name adopted for the new political organization after the fall of the Qing dynasty.”
20th Century
Wade–Giles
Kuomintang
“The older English romanization of Guómíndǎng, commonly abbreviated as KMT.”
Modern English
English
Guomindang
“The Pinyin romanization used in contemporary English alongside the older form Kuomintang.”
Explore more surprising origins