One thing that baffles me for a long time is why the English translation for the country that we known as China is “China” and not Zhōngguó (as in the hanyupinyin for 中国) or something similar or names related to other known names of China like Huáxià (华夏), Shénzhōu (神州) or Jiǔzhōu (九州, “nine states”) or even a literal translation of the Chinese characters, Middle Kingdom.

If you check English dictionaries, the first definition they usually list for the word “China” is “a fine white or translucent vitrified ceramic material” (Oxford Dictionary) or “1: PORCELAIN, also : vitreous porcelain wares (such as dishes, vases, or ornaments) for domestic use; 2: earthenware or porcelain tableware” (“China.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/china. Accessed 21 Mar. 2021.). The next definition is almost always China as a geographical region and country that we came to know. But most scholars did suggest that china as a “porcelain” came about because of its place of origin, China, so it does not explain how China, the country, got this English appellation. Interesting, in one dictionary, one of the entries for the word is “INFORMAL•BRITISH: a friend”.

Some said the word “China” comes from the “Cina” in Sanskrit (derived from the name of the Chinese Qin Dynasty, pronounced ‘Chin’) which was translated as chīnī by the Persians that then become popularized through trade from China to the rest of the world.

Not a very convincing argument, given that the pronunciation and subsequent spellings differ so much.