Nanyue
/ˌnænˈjuːeɪ/noun
Nanyue was an ancient kingdom in southern China and northern Vietnam that existed primarily from 204 to 111 BCE.
Did you know?Nanyue was founded by Zhao Tuo, a Qin military commander who became king and established a powerful, culturally mixed kingdom at the southern edge of the Chinese world.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, pre-imperial period
Old Chinese
南 *nˤem
“south; the southern direction”
Old Chinese, pre-imperial period
Old Chinese
越 *ɢʷat
“Yue, an ethnonym used for peoples and polities in southeastern China”
3rd Century BCE
Classical Chinese
南越
“Southern Yue; the southern Yue region or people”
204 BCE
Classical Chinese
南越國
“Kingdom of Southern Yue, founded by Zhao Tuo after the collapse of Qin authority”
111 BCE
Han Chinese
南越
“Nanyue, the kingdom annexed by the Han dynasty”
Modern English
English
Nanyue
“The historical kingdom or its associated cultural and geographic region”