大秦

"Roman Empire"

Attested in the Book of the Later Han (《後漢書·西域傳》) in a semi-legendary account as reported by the envoy Gan Ying (甘英). Pulleyblank (1999) believes that the name "[was] clearly not a transcription of a foreign word", and the identification remains vague. Unconvincingly, the passage in the Later Han attempts to explain:

其人民皆長大平正，有類中國，故謂之大秦。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

---

其人民皆长大平正，有类中国，故谓之大秦。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of the Later Han, circa 5^th century CE

Qí rénmín jiē cháng dà píng zhèng, yǒu lèi Zhōngguó, gù wèizhī Dàqín. [Pinyin]

Its people are all built tall, robust, balanced, and upright, resembling (the people) of the Zhongguo. For this reason it is called Daqin (the Great Qin).

In contrast, Zhang (1919) conjectured that the word may have indeed been a borrowing ultimately from Latium, Latinum, etc. (transcribed as 剌丁 in his writing) based on comparisons among Sinitic languages; see also the Baxter–Sagart reconstruction below. However, this etymology remains hypothetical.

"Roman Levant; Syria region; etc."

Used by 8th-century Syriac Christians themselves (see quotation below) after contact with Tang Chinese literati.

大秦

1. (historical and archaic, speculative, imprecise designation in Chinese historiography) the Roman Empire; the City of Rome; etc.
2. (historical and archaic, imprecise designation in Chinese historiography) the Hellenistic or Greco-Roman world in general, the West

   • 那先問王：「王本生何國？」王言：「我本生大秦國，國名阿荔散。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     那先问王：「王本生何国？」王言：「我本生大秦国，国名阿荔散。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: c. 4th century, anonymous translator. Bhikkhu Nāgasena Sutta (《那先比丘經》), related to the Milinda Pañha text.

     Nàxiān wèn Wáng: “Wáng běnshēng héguó?” Wáng yán: “Wǒ běnshēng Dàqín guó, guó míng Ālìsàn.” [Pinyin]

     Nāgasena asks: "Where was Your Majesty born?" "I was born in Daqin, in a major city named Alexandria," says the King.

3. (historical and archaic, Chinese historiography) the Coele Syria or the Roman Levant; the Syria region under Roman dominion

   • 神天宣慶，室女誕聖於大秦；景宿告祥，波斯睹耀以來貢。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     神天宣庆，室女诞圣于大秦；景宿告祥，波斯睹耀以来贡。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 781, Nestorian Stele Inscriptions (《大秦景教流行中國碑》). Translated by Alexander Wylie (偉烈亞力).

     Shéntiān xuānqìng, shìnǚ dànshèng yú Dàqín; jǐngxiù gàoxiáng, Bōsī dǔyào yǐ láigòng. [Pinyin]

     Angelic powers promulgated the glad tidings, a virgin gave birth to the Holy One in Syria;
     A bright star announced the felicitous event, and Persians observing the splendor came to present tribute.

• (Roman Empire): 羅馬帝國／罗马帝国 (Luómǎ Dìguó)
• (Rome itself): 羅馬／罗马 (Luómǎ)
• (Eastern Roman Empire): 拂林 (Fúlín)
• (Europe): 歐洲／欧洲 (Ōuzhōu)
• (Syria): 敘利亞／叙利亚 (Xùlìyà)