Jiuzhou
/tɕjòʊ̯ tʂóʊ̯/noun
Jiuzhou is the classical Chinese term for the “Nine Provinces” or regions traditionally said to make up the ancient Chinese world.
Did you know?In ancient Chinese tradition, Yu the Great supposedly organized Jiuzhou after controlling the Great Flood, making the term both a geographic system and a mythic blueprint of civilization.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Sinitic / Old Chinese period
Old Chinese
九州
“A compound of 九, “nine,” and 州, a region, territorial division, or land surrounded by water.”
c. 4th–3rd Century BCE
Classical Chinese
九州 (Jiǔzhōu)
“The traditional Nine Provinces described in early Chinese texts, especially accounts associated with Yu the Great.”
2nd Century BCE
Classical Chinese
九州
“A standard cosmological and political designation for the Chinese realm in texts such as the Huainanzi and historical traditions surrounding the Xia dynasty.”
1st–3rd Century CE
Chinese
九州
“A literary name for China or the civilized world, alongside related expressions such as 九州四海, “the Nine Provinces and the Four Seas.””
7th–9th Century CE
Japanese
九州 (Kyūshū)
“The name adopted in Japan for Kyushu, literally “Nine Provinces,” reflecting the island’s historical division into nine ancient provinces.”
Modern English
English
Jiuzhou
“A scholarly pinyin transliteration used for the ancient Chinese concept of the Nine Provinces; Kyushu remains the usual English name for the Japanese island.”
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