Understanding the Meaning of the Word "Mandarin"

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I could remember writing about the seven words that all mean Mandarin. There was confusion about what Mandarin was in Chinese. The Chinese language subject is often referred to as 华语 (huá yǔ) which was referred to as hua gu in Hokkien. Hokkien Chinese may have used the word lan nang to literally mean "our people". Today, the ethnic Chinese not in China are 华人 (huá rén) or hua lang in Hokkien. Personally, I want to refer to myself as a hua lang than a lan nang. Now, the meaning of Mandarin does have a European origin. As languages evolve and get accepted, it's no surprise that the word Mandarin isn't of Chinese origin.

Instead, The Atlantic offers this insight into the origin of the word Mandarin:

This one word encapsulates an entire colonial history. In the 16th century, Portuguese explorers were among the first Europeans to reach China. Traders and missionaries followed, settling into Macau on land leased from China’s Ming dynasty rulers. The Portuguese called the Ming officials they met mandarim, which comes from menteri in Malay and, before that, mantrī in Sanskrit, both of which mean “minister” or “counselor.” It makes sense that Portuguese would borrow from Malay; they were simultaneously colonizing Malacca on the Malay peninsula. 

Speaking of Malay, they also compose a lot of the Filipino people who were called 番仔 (fān zăi) which means non-Chinese. Today, I prefer to call Filipino 菲律宾人 (Fēilǜbīn rén) instead of the Hokkein word huan na. I think 番仔 (fān zăi) or huan na might refer to Southeast Asians of non-Chinese origin. The Filipino language has borrowed from Chinese, Malay, and Spanish. I've eaten Spanish food and Mexican food--both have a feeling of familiarity with Filipino dishes that I love to eat. 

Added more insights from The Atlantic on Mandarin also including:

Over time, the Portuguese coinage of “mandarin” took on other meanings. The Ming dynasty officials wore yellow robes, which may be why “mandarin” came to mean a type of citrus. “Mandarin” also lent its names to colorful animals native to Asia but new to Europeans, like wasps and snakes and, of course, ducks. And the language the Chinese officials spoke became “Mandarin,” which is how the English name for the language more than 1 billion people in China speak still comes from Portuguese.

Language evolved over time and I could remember eating mandarin oranges. Some people may even be familiar that there's a villain from Marvel Comics' Iron Man named the Mandarin. Being a Mandarin meant a person was an important position. Today, calling the Chinese main language Mandarin might be because it's the most commonly spoken Chinese language. Mandarin is also called 普通话 (pǔ tōng huà) which literally means the common language of China. It's also called as 中国话 (zhōng guó huà) and 中国 (zhōng guó) is the Chinese name for China. Yet, we call China, China, in English and 中国 (zhōng guó) in the Mandarin language. 

It's like how the word China may have been derived from the Middle Eastern word Čīn from Persia and the Sanskrit word Cīna. Granted, China and India are very close to each other. It also surprised me to learn how earlier versions of the folk tale Aladdin supposedly happened in China even when the characters are obviously Middle Eastern. Heck, the name Aladdin is a very common Arabic name. Though, some say the name came from the Qin Dynasty.

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