Chapter 2 Section 1 Indians call China "China"

In ancient Indian books, such as the great epics "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana", China has been mentioned many times.China is called "China" in the book, and it is written in Latin letters as Cina.We know that today's Europeans call China, the British call it China, the French call it Chine, and the Italians call it Cina. It is clear at a glance that these names all come from the same source. So why do they all call China "China"?In order to find this answer, people have racked their brains, researched and debated, and their opinions are still not unified.However, there is one opinion that many scholars agree with, that is: "Zina" is a transliteration of "Qin".As early as the middle of the 17th century, some people suggested that the name "China" is a transliteration of "Qin"; In fact, the names of Indians for China come from the same source; in recent years, Chinese scholar Mr. Ji Xianlin also said: "Cina" has many Chinese translations, and the most popular one is "China", which can be seen at a glance. Transliteration. What is the original Chinese text? So far, there are different opinions, and there is no consensus. I personally, and some other Chinese and foreign scholars, agree with the opinion of the French scholar Pelliot. The time in China is earlier, always before the middle of the third century AD." He also talked about the transliteration of "Zina" or "Qin" in other works.

It is possible that ancient Indians knew the name "Qin" from two routes, namely from the northwest and southwest of China. Let me talk about the Northwest first.According to "Historical Records Qin Benji", in the thirty-seventh year of Duke Mu of Qin Dynasty (623 BC), "Qin used Yu to plan to conquer the king of Rong, benefited the country for twelve, opened up thousands of miles, and then dominated Xirong."It is possible that Qin's reputation spread from then on to Central Asia, and from Central Asia to India.During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the nomadic Huns, Yuezhi people, and Wusun people in Northwest China were all adjacent to the Qin State. Their activities ranged widely, and they all might become the media for the spread of the name Qin.

Let's talk about the Southwest.According to the "Historical Records" in "Qin Benji" and "Qin Shihuang Benji", Qin general Sima Cuo attacked Shu in 316 BC and put down it, and put down the rebellion of Shuhou in 301 BC.When Yingzheng succeeded to the throne of Qin, "the land of Qin had merged with Ba and Shu".Many archaeological materials in modern times prove that the Shu people had some material exchanges with the outside world during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, especially with Myanmar, India and other countries in the southwest.Then, it is also natural for them to go to the Indian area after the land of Shu returned to Qin, and pass the title of Qin to the ancient Indians.

In India, the earliest record of the name "China" is the "On Political Affairs" written by Kautilya in the early Mauryan Dynasty.There has always been controversy in academic circles about Kautilya and his books, but before there is conclusive evidence, people still believe that he is the author of "On Political Affairs", which was written around the 4th century BC.This coincided with the time when Qin ruled Shu.In "On Political Affairs", there is a saying that "silk and silk clothes are produced in China".This shows that the ancient Indians had already called China "China" before Qin Shihuang established the Qin Dynasty, and had a slight trade with China.