Jiaozhou
/tɕjɑʊ̯˥ ʈʂoʊ̯˥/noun
Jiaozhou was a historical Chinese administrative region in southern China and northern Vietnam, and is also the name of a modern city in Shandong.
Did you know?The name Jiaozhou was carried into Vietnamese history as Giao Châu, showing how one administrative label survived across changing empires and languages.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
交州
“The characters meant approximately “Jiao administrative region”; 交 could indicate crossing, connection, or intersection, while 州 meant an administrative territory.”
2nd Century BCE
Chinese
交趾
“The broader southern region was known as Jiaozhi, a name associated with the far southern territories of the Chinese world.”
203 BCE
Chinese
交州
“Jiaozhou was established as a southern province during the early imperial administrative reorganization traditionally associated with the Han period.”
3rd Century CE
Classical Chinese
交州
“Jiaozhou remained a major administrative division encompassing areas corresponding to parts of present-day southern China and northern Vietnam.”
10th–15th Centuries
Vietnamese
Giao Châu
“The name appeared in Vietnamese historical usage as Giao Châu, reflecting the region’s earlier incorporation into Chinese imperial administration.”
Modern English
English
Jiaozhou
“The pinyin romanization Jiaozhou refers chiefly to the historical region and to Jiaozhou City in Shandong, whose name uses the same characters.”