中土

Chinese

		middle; centre; within middle; centre; within; among; in; while (doing something); during; China; Chinese; hit (the mark)	earth; dust; rural earth; dust; rural; uncouth; uncultured; plebeian
simp. and trad. (中土)		中	土

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Zhōngtǔ

  (Zhuyin): ㄓㄨㄥ ㄊㄨˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zung¹ tou²
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): tiong-thó͘

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Zhōngtǔ
    • Zhuyin: ㄓㄨㄥ ㄊㄨˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Jhongtǔ
    • Wade–Giles: Chung¹-tʻu³
    • Yale: Jūng-tǔ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Jongtuu
    • Palladius: Чжунту (Čžuntu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ tʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zung¹ tou²
    • Yale: jūng tóu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzung¹ tou²
    • Guangdong Romanization: zung¹ tou²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ tʰou̯³⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tiong-thó͘
    • Tâi-lô: tiong-thóo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: diongtor
    • IPA (Xiamen): /tiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² tʰɔ⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tiɔŋ³³ tʰɔ⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /tiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² tʰɔ⁵³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /tiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ tʰɔ⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ tʰɔ⁴¹/

Proper noun

中土

1. the Central Plain (area on the lower reaches of the Yellow River which formed the cradle of Chinese civilization)

   梁武帝嘗問一中土人曰：「卿北人，何故不知有族？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
   梁武帝尝问一中土人曰：「卿北人，何故不知有族？」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

   From: Yan Zhitui, The Family Instructions of Master Yan, 6^th century CE

   Liáng Wǔdì cháng wèn yī Zhōngtǔ rén yuē: “Qīng běirén, hégù bùzhī yǒu zú?” [Pinyin]

   Emperor Wu of Liang once asked a person from the Central Plain: "Why do the people of the north not know of clans?"

2. (dated) China

   • 佛圖羅剎，不知何國人，德業純粹，該覽經典。久遊中土，善閑漢言，其宣譯梵，文見重符世。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     佛图罗刹，不知何国人，德业纯粹，该览经典。久游中土，善闲汉言，其宣译梵，文见重符世。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Shi Huijiao, Memoirs of Eminent Monks, circa 530 CE

     Fótúluóchà, bù zhī hé guó rén, dé yè chúncuì, gāi lǎn jīngdiǎn. Jiǔ yóu Zhōngtǔ, shàn xián hànyán, qí xuān yì fàn, wén jiàn zhòng fú shì. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Synonyms

• (the Central Plain): (archaic) 中國／中国 (Zhōngguó), 中原 (Zhōngyuán), 中州 (Zhōngzhōu)
• (China): 中國／中国 (Zhōngguó)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (中土):

• → Korean: 중토(中土) (jungto)