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https://thelanguagenerds.com/2023/literal-chinese-translations-of-world-countries-names/ https://thelanguagenerds.com/2023/literal-chinese-translatio... You mi

by Y_Y 11mo ago

https://thelanguagenerds.com/2023/literal-chinese-translations-of-world-countries-names/ https://thelanguagenerds.com/2023/literal-chinese-translatio... You might then enjoy a list of these "accidental semantics" acquired by foreign country names, which are* rough transliterations, usually from local or English name. I can't find the nice source I originally had, so here's a stochastic patrot's approximation: United States 美国 Měiguó Beautiful Country China 中国 Zhōngguó Middle Country Japan 日本 Rìběn Origin of the Sun Germany 德国 Déguó Virtuous Country India 印度 Yìndù India United Kingdom 英国 Yīngguó Heroic Country France 法国 Fǎguó Law Country Italy 意大利 Yìdàlì Italy Canada 加拿大 Jiānádà Canada South Korea 韩国 Hánguó Han Country * Obviously CJK etc countries already had names

fluoridation 11mo ago
Most of those are just phonetic approximations using convenient characters. I'm not sure I'd say the names have any semantic content. The names for China, Korea, and Japan are the names the ancient Chinese gave them. China is the "middle" or "center" country because it's the country of the people who named it. Japan is the origin of the sun because it's to the East of China. And of course the Han are what Koreans called themselves. Nothing accidental about any of those names.
- Y_Y 11mo ago
  Indeed, that is what I wrote
- pimlottc 11mo ago
  Sure, but there are multiple characters nearly every sound in Mandarin, I’m sure it’s no accident they ended up with mostly flattering ones.
  - pinkmuffinere 11mo ago
    +1, it's no accident. The most obvious case is with corporate names, which sometimes get carefully analyzed in translation. Coca-Cola is famously translated as 可口可乐 (Ke3 kou3 ke3 le4, numbers indicate tones), with individual characters meaning "can taste can happy", and intuitively meaning something like "drinkable deliciousness"
- 0xis 11mo ago
  According to Baxter & Sagart (2014), the name Hán 韓 *[g]ˤar is from Gaya language word kara.

by Y_Y 11mo ago

fluoridation 11mo ago

Most of those are just phonetic approximations using convenient characters. I'm not sure I'd say the names have any semantic content. The names for China, Korea, and Japan are the names the ancient Chinese gave them. China is the "middle" or "center" country because it's the country of the people who named it. Japan is the origin of the sun because it's to the East of China. And of course the Han are what Koreans called themselves. Nothing accidental about any of those names.

Y_Y 11mo ago
Indeed, that is what I wrote
pimlottc 11mo ago
Sure, but there are multiple characters nearly every sound in Mandarin, I’m sure it’s no accident they ended up with mostly flattering ones.
- pinkmuffinere 11mo ago
  +1, it's no accident. The most obvious case is with corporate names, which sometimes get carefully analyzed in translation. Coca-Cola is famously translated as 可口可乐 (Ke3 kou3 ke3 le4, numbers indicate tones), with individual characters meaning "can taste can happy", and intuitively meaning something like "drinkable deliciousness"
0xis 11mo ago
According to Baxter & Sagart (2014), the name Hán 韓 *[g]ˤar is from Gaya language word kara.