Minquan
/mǐn tɕʰɥɛ̌n/noun
A Chinese political concept meaning the civil or political rights of the people, especially in Sun Yat-sen’s doctrine of the Three Principles of the People.
Did you know?Minquan was popularized internationally through Sun Yat-sen’s Three Principles of the People, alongside nationalism and the people’s livelihood.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
民
“The people; the populace”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
權
“Authority, power, or right; originally associated with weighing or exercising judgment”
Late 19th–Early 20th Century
Chinese
民權 / 民权
“Civil or political rights of the people”
1905–1920s
Chinese
minquan
“Sun Yat-sen’s principle of popular political power, commonly rendered as democracy or people’s rights”
20th Century
English usage
minquan
“A romanized Chinese political term used in English-language scholarship and translations”