Guoyu
/ˈɡwoʊ.juː/noun
A Chinese term meaning the national language, commonly referring to Standard Mandarin in Taiwan and historically in China.
Did you know?In Taiwan, guoyu generally refers to Mandarin, while in mainland China the comparable official term is putonghua, meaning “common speech.”
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
國語
“The language of the state or states; the characters literally mean “country/state” and “language.””
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese
國語
“National or state language; also the title of the historical text known in English as the Discourses of the States.”
Late Qing period, 19th–early 20th century
Mandarin Chinese
國語 / guóyǔ
““National language,” increasingly used in discussions of linguistic standardization and national education.”
1913
Republican-era Chinese
國語
“The term adopted for the standardized national language associated with Mandarin varieties.”
20th century
Taiwanese Mandarin
國語 / guóyǔ
“Mandarin as the official and educational language of Taiwan.”
Modern English
English
guoyu
“A transliterated Chinese loanword used in English-language writing about Chinese language policy, especially in Taiwan.”
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