Jianzhou
/tɕjɛ́n tʂoʊ̯/noun
Jianzhou is a historical Chinese place-name used for several regions and, most notably, for the Jianzhou Jurchen area during the Ming period.
Did you know?The term Jianzhou is strongly associated with the Jianzhou Jurchens, whose political lineage ultimately produced Nurhaci and the Manchu state that founded China’s Qing dynasty.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Chinese
州 (zhōu)
“A large territorial division or administrative region; the character later became a standard element in Chinese place-names.”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
建 (jiàn)
“To establish, set up, build, or found.”
Ming Dynasty, 14th Century
Chinese
建州 (Jiànzhōu)
““Established prefecture”; the name was applied to Ming administrative units and frontier territories.”
15th–16th Centuries
Chinese
建州女真 (Jiànzhōu Nǚzhēn)
“The Jianzhou Jurchens, one of the major Jurchen groupings in the northeast.”
17th Century
Manchu and Chinese
建州 / Jianzhou
“A historical designation associated with the Jurchen communities consolidated by Nurhaci.”
Modern English
English
Jianzhou
“A transliterated Chinese historical name, especially referring to the Jianzhou Jurchens or their region.”