Minzu
/ˈmɪnˌtsuː/noun
A Chinese term for an ethnic group, nationality, or people understood as a distinct cultural and political community.
Did you know?Although often translated as “ethnicity,” *minzu* became especially influential in modern Chinese political thought through late-Qing encounters with the Japanese term *minzoku* and Western nationalism.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
民 (*min)
“The people or common populace; the character originally referred to ordinary people rather than an ethnic nation in the modern sense.”
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese
族 (*zú)
“A clan, kin group, lineage, or group sharing a common identity.”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
民族
“A compound of 民, “people,” and 族, “clan or group”; early uses could refer broadly to a people or lineage.”
Late 19th–early 20th century
Modern Chinese
民族 (*mínzú)
“A modern political and cultural term shaped partly by Japanese *minzoku*, increasingly referring to a nation, nationality, or ethnic group.”
20th Century
English
minzu
“An English scholarly transliteration used in discussions of Chinese ethnicity, nationality, and state classification.”
Modern English
English
minzu
“A specialized loanword describing a culturally or politically recognized people, especially in the context of China.”
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