▁the ▁early ▁period ; ▁the ▁Per i plus ▁of ▁the ▁E ry th ra e an ▁Sea ▁from ▁perhaps ▁the ▁first ▁century ▁AD ▁recorded ▁a ▁country ▁known ▁as ▁Th in ▁( θ ί ν ). ▁ ▁The ▁English ▁name ▁for ▁" Ch ina " ▁itself ▁is ▁derived ▁from ▁Middle ▁Pers ian ▁( Ch ī n ī ▁). ▁This ▁modern ▁word ▁" Ch ina " ▁was ▁first ▁used ▁by ▁Europe ans ▁starting ▁with ▁Portuguese ▁expl or ers ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁century ▁– ▁it ▁was ▁first ▁recorded ▁in ▁ 1 5 1 6 ▁in ▁the ▁journal ▁of ▁the ▁Portuguese ▁expl orer ▁Du arte ▁Barb osa . ▁The ▁journal ▁was ▁translated ▁and ▁published ▁in ▁England ▁in ▁ 1 5 5 5 . ▁ ▁The ▁traditional ▁et ym ology , ▁proposed ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century ▁by ▁Martin ▁Mart ini ▁and ▁supported ▁by ▁later ▁sch ol ars ▁such ▁as ▁Paul ▁P elli ot ▁and ▁Ber th old ▁Lau fer , ▁is ▁that ▁the ▁word ▁" Ch ina " ▁and ▁its ▁related ▁terms ▁are ▁ultimately ▁derived ▁from ▁the ▁polity ▁known ▁as ▁Q in ▁that ▁un ified ▁China ▁to ▁form ▁the ▁Q in ▁D ynast y ▁( , ▁Old ▁Chinese : ▁* dz in ) ▁in ▁the ▁ 3 rd ▁century ▁BC , ▁but ▁existed ▁as ▁a ▁state ▁on ▁the ▁fur th est ▁west ▁of ▁China ▁since ▁the ▁ 9 th ▁century ▁BC . ▁This ▁is ▁still ▁the ▁most ▁commonly ▁held ▁theory , ▁although ▁the ▁et ym ology ▁is ▁still ▁a ▁matter ▁of ▁debate