Qing Dynasty
/tʃɪŋ ˈdaɪ.nə.sti/noun
The imperial dynasty that ruled China from 1644 to 1912, founded by the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan.
Did you know?The dynasty officially adopted the name Qing in 1636, replacing Later Jin; historians note that the choice may have symbolically countered the Ming Dynasty’s association with fire through Qing’s water-related character 清.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
清 (qīng)
“Clear, pure, limpid, or serene; the character used in the dynastic name.”
1636
Manchu/Chinese
Daicing gurun / 大清
“The Great Qing; Hong Taiji renamed the Manchu state and abandoned the name Later Jin.”
Late Classical Greek
Greek
dynasteía (δυναστεία)
“Lordship, sovereignty, or rule by a powerful person; the source of the English word dynasty.”
Late Antiquity
Late Latin
dynastia
“A ruling family or succession of rulers.”
14th Century
Old French
dynastie
“A succession or family of sovereign rulers.”
15th Century
English
dynasty
“A succession of rulers from the same family; later, any powerful hereditary line.”
1644–1912
English
Qing Dynasty
“The imperial dynasty that conquered Ming China, ruled for nearly three centuries, and ended with the 1911 Revolution.”