Why is England called Yingguo?

England is called Yingguo (英国) in Chinese primarily due to a phonetic translation of the first syllable of "England," combined with the Chinese word for "country." This approach is a common method for naming foreign places in Chinese.

The Meaning Behind 'Yingguo'

The name Yingguo is a direct reflection of how the Chinese language often adapts foreign names phonetically.

• Ying (英): This character (pronounced yīng) is a phonetic transliteration of the "Eng-" sound in "England." It is chosen for its phonetic similarity to the beginning of the word.
• Guo (国): This character (pronounced guó) directly translates to "country" or "nation."

Therefore, when combined, Yingguo (英国) literally means "the country starting with 'Eng'."

Distinguishing England from Britain in Chinese

It's important to note the distinction in Chinese between England and the broader entity of Great Britain or the United Kingdom:

• Yingguo (英国) specifically refers to England.
• Dà Bùlièdiān (大不列颠), meaning "Great Britain," is a phonetic translation that refers to the geographical entity of the British Isles, encompassing the three islands and the broader region, rather than solely the country of England. Similarly, the United Kingdom is often referred to as Yīngguó (英国) in common usage, but more formally as Dà Bùlièdiān Gònghéguó (大不列颠联合王国), or Yīngguó (英国) as a shorthand for the UK itself in many contexts, leading to some overlap in everyday language. However, when specifying England itself, Yingguo is used.

Linguistic Approach

The practice of using a character like Ying (英) for "Eng" is a testament to the Chinese language's flexible system of transliteration. When encountering foreign names, Chinese often adopts characters that phonetically approximate the original sounds, sometimes also choosing characters with positive or neutral meanings. This method allows for the integration of countless foreign terms into the lexicon while maintaining the character-based nature of the language.