Insight into one of Japan's regions which is called 中国


I was doing some research into the difference between Japanese states,
regions, prefectures, etc. today when I noticed that one of the regions is
called ちゅうごく (中国).

Is there a reason that one of the regions is given the same name as China ?




The word 「中國」 is a [_kango_](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kango) which
literally means _middle_ 「中」 _region_ 「國」.

* * *

[「[國]{こく}」](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=2021) ([Baxter-
Sagart
OC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_%282014%29):
**/*[C.q]ʷˤək/** , _state_ > _country_ ) is comprised of

  * semantic 「囗」 ( _picture of city walls_ > _surround_ , now written 「[圍]{囲}」)

  * simultaneously semantic and phonetic [「[或]{こく}」](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=894), which is a _picture of_

    * _a_ [_dagger-axe_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagger-axe) [「戈」](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=127) guarding

    * _a region_ represented by 「囗」(small centre-left square shape in 「或」) surrounded by _borders_ (represented by horizontal lines「㇐」 above and beneath 「囗」).

「或」 thus represents the ancestral
[morpheme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morpheme) of both 「國」 and 「[域]{よく}」 (
**/*[ɢ]ʷrək/** , _area/region_ ), and 「國」 and 「域」 are
[cognate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognate). If you can't stop seeing the
word _China_ in 「[中國地方]{ちゅうごくちほう}」, I suggest you mentally interpret it as
「中域地方」.

Since 「或」 originally represented the morpheme now written as 「國」, the word
represented by 「中國」 was originally written as 「中或」. From 《尊》
([《殷周金文集成》6014](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=6014)):

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/n95k5.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/n95k5.png)

>
> [隹]{唯}[珷]{武}王旣[]{克}大邑商[]{則}【[⿺⿹人彡]{廷（筳）}】[]{告}【[⿰于弓]{于}】{{zh:天}}曰余[]{其}宅[]{兹}
> **[]{中}或** 自[]{之}【[⿰]{乂}】【[⿸目十]{民}】
>
> _[For]{唯}[[King Wǔ]{武王}](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Wu_of_Zhou) had
> [already]{旣} [[defeated]{克}](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Muye)
> the [Great]{大} [State]{邑} of
> [[Shāng]{商}](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang). He [thus]{則} conducted
> [ritual divination]{筳（筳篿）} and [prayed]{告} [to]{于}
> [[Heaven]{天}](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian), [saying]{曰}: "[I]{余}
> [shall]{其} [settle]{宅} in [these]{兹} [[central]{中}
> [regions]{或（國・域）}](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhongyuan), and [govern]{乂}
> the [people]{民} [from]{自} [here]{之}."_

Please note that 「中或」 **doesn't mean China** (or the [Zhōu
Dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_dynasty) in this context), it
means the _central regions_ of the state/"nation"/"country". The meaning
_China_ for 「中國」 is a **Chinese-language** literary name, rather than a name
used by the states surrounding China (such as Japan), until the formation of
the Chinese Republics. The literary name comes from ancient Chinese Dynasties
considering the ruling power controlling the Central Plain Regions as holding
the [Mandate of Heaven](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandate_of_heaven).

Chinese dynasties usually referred to themselves and the predecessor dynasty
with their _dynasty name_ or _capital city name_ (the above inscription
referred to Shāng as 「大邑商」), rather than the literary name 「中國」.

* * *

According to Japanese and English Wikipedia, the exact origin of the name is
unknown. However, 「中國」 in the context of 「中國地方」 should also be taken with a
more literal meaning: _middle regions > middle provinces_ ( _koku_ ,
provincial administrative division in Ancient Japan). Some relevant
definitions from
[_kotobank_](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD-97172):

>   * 国の中央の部分。天子の都のある地方。
>
>   * 律令制で、都からの距離によって国を遠国・中国・近国に分類したうちの一。
>
>     * This definition implies that the name 「中国」 may come from a _proximity
> relation from an administrative centre_ (with other _far provinces_ and
> _near provinces_ ).
>

