Qitai
/tɕʰi˧˥ tʰaɪ˧˥/noun
Qitai is a county and town in Xinjiang, China.
Did you know?Qitai is associated with the same historical naming tradition that produced Cathay, an old European name for China, through references to the Khitan people.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval period
Mongolic
Qitad / Qitai
“A form connected with the name of the Khitan people and, by extension, China in several Inner Asian languages.”
10th–12th Centuries
Khitan
Khitan
“The name of the people who established the Liao dynasty across parts of northern China and Inner Asia.”
13th–14th Centuries
European Latin
Cathay
“An exonym for China derived through Central Asian forms associated with Khitan.”
Early modern period
Chinese
奇台
“The Chinese written form Qítái, used for the place in present-day Xinjiang; the characters function as the established Chinese name rather than a reliable literal translation.”
Modern English
English
Qitai
“The standard Romanized form of Qítái, chiefly used in geographic names for Qitai County and Qitai Town.”
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