User talk:Zhida2009

Mandarin
Hi, Zhida2009. I have again reverted your edit because despite the common story, the word "Mandarin" is not derived from "Manchu"; in fact it was already in use in the late Ming. See Mandarin (bureaucrat) for details. Kanguole 20:21, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

Dear Kanguole, it seemed implausible for me that the word "Mandarine" is an English word derived from ancient Portuguese. If it is indeed so, do Portuguese people still use it now? Or why is that the word "Mandarin" only refer to Chinese officials or official language? It should be applicable to all British colonies including India, Malaysia, Egypt and some Arab nations but it didn't happen. So I believe it is not a story but the truth. However, by saying that the word literally means Manchu officer doesn't mean it is a Manchurian language, it is a dialect spoken in northern China.
 * The theory that the word "Mandarin" is somehow derived from the name "Manchu" does not fit with the fact that so many European authors used the term to refer to Chinese officials in the 16th century, during the Ming dynasty, well before the name "Manchu" was adopted by Hong Taiji (1635) or the beginning of Qing rule of China (1644). The reason this term for Chinese officials was borrowed from Portuguese to English in that when the British arrived in China, the Portuguese were already there.  As it happens, the term "Mandarin" is still used occasionally (in English) to refer to senior officials of the British civil service.  Kanguole 22:59, 6 July 2017 (UTC)