▁Tab g ach ▁came ▁from ▁the ▁met ath eses ▁of ▁Tu oba ▁(* t ' ak bat ), ▁a ▁dominant ▁tribe ▁of ▁the ▁X ian bei , ▁and ▁the ▁surname ▁of ▁the ▁Northern ▁Wei ▁D ynast y ▁in ▁the ▁ 5 th ▁century ▁before ▁sin ic isation . ▁It ▁referred ▁to ▁Northern ▁China , ▁which ▁was ▁domin ated ▁by ▁half - X ian bei , ▁half - Ch inese ▁people . ▁▁ ▁By z antine ▁Greek : ▁T aug ats ▁ ▁Or hon ▁K ok - T urk : ▁Tab g ach ▁( vari ations ▁Tam g ach ) ▁ ▁N ikan ▁ ▁N ikan ▁( Man ch u : ▁, ▁means " H an ▁eth nic ity ") ▁ ▁was ▁a ▁Man ch u ▁eth n onym ▁of ▁unknown ▁origin ▁that ▁referred ▁specifically ▁to ▁the ▁eth nic ▁group ▁known ▁in ▁English ▁as ▁the ▁Han ▁Chinese ; ▁the ▁stem ▁of ▁this ▁word ▁was ▁also ▁conjug ated ▁as ▁a ▁verb , ▁n ik ara (- m bi ), ▁and ▁used ▁to ▁mean ▁" to ▁speak ▁the ▁Chinese ▁language ." ▁Since ▁N ikan ▁was ▁essentially ▁an ▁eth n onym ▁and ▁referred ▁to ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁people ▁( i . e ., ▁a ▁nation ) ▁rather ▁than ▁to ▁a ▁political ▁body ▁( i . e ., ▁a ▁state ), ▁the ▁correct ▁translation ▁of ▁" Ch ina " ▁into ▁the ▁Man ch u ▁language ▁is ▁N ikan ▁g ur un , ▁literally ▁the ▁" N ikan ▁state " ▁or ▁" country ▁of ▁the ▁Nik ans " ▁(