Qin
/t͡ɕʰin/noun
An ancient Chinese state that unified China in 221 BCE, and the dynasty it founded.
Did you know?The name Qin became one of the strongest foreign labels for China itself, passing through languages like Sanskrit and Persian before influencing forms such as “China.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Zhou period
Old Chinese
*ɡin
“The name of a western state in the Zhou world”
771–221 BCE
Chinese
秦 (Qín)
“The state of Qin in northwest China”
221–206 BCE
Chinese
秦朝 (Qín Cháo)
“The Qin dynasty, the first imperial dynasty of China”
1st millennium CE
Sanskrit
Cīna
“A name for China or the Chinese people”
Medieval Persian
Persian
Chīn
“China”
Modern English
English
Qin
“The standard pinyin romanization of the Chinese name 秦”