# Qin
## English
### Alternative forms

* (dated): Ch'in
* (obsolete): Tsin
* Chin

### Pronunciation

* enPR: chĭn, IPA: /t͡ʃɪn/

### Etymology 1

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 秦 (Qín), from Middle Chinese (*dzin), from Old Chinese (*dzin).

#### Proper noun

Qin (countable and uncountable, plural Qins)
* An ancient feudal state of China that existed between 778 and 207 BC.
* The first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC.
** [1943, Kwok Ying Fung, “Out of Yesterday”, in China‎, New York: Henry Holt and Company, →OCLC, page 14:The youth of China, deeply concerned with the future of their country, began to question everything and re-evaluate everything. What had been considered valuable became worthless, and what had been regarded as worthless became priceless. The more they examined, the more doubtful they became. This inquisitive approach shook the ancient political system, which had been handed down with little modification from the Chin Dynasty more than twenty centuries before. The new generation cried, "Democracy."]
** [2007, “Our Trip Back to Shanghai”, in A Girl From Shanghai: The Story of Lillian Hsu, a Medical Geneticist, a NTU Medical College Alumna‎, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 48:Sian was the captial of the Cin Dynasty(221B.C. - 201B.C.), which built the Great Wall of China. The city is now known for archeological finds, such as the clay soldiers, horses and arms buried with the emperor of the Cin Dynasty.(Note: Cin is the Tongyong Pinyin-derived name for Qin.)]
** 2007 September 14, Souren Melikian, “A Chinese emperor's cultural revolution”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on November 28, 2024, Arts‎:Until 1974, the name Qin Shihuangdi (221-210 B.C.) was essentially known to specialists through the annals of Sima Qian, official historian to the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.). The Han overthrew the Qin dynasty founded by the First Emperor and this might call for reservations concerning his objectivity. Yet Sima, who wrote a century after the facts, was well informed.
** 2016 February 11, Frank Sieren, “Sieren's China: Cashless into the Year of the Monkey”, in DW News‎, archived from the original on February 12, 2016, China‎:The highlight of every Chinese New Year meal with the family is when the "hongbao", red envelopes filled with brand new banknotes, are handed out at the end. The tradition goes back to the Qin dynasty (221 - 206 BC) when hongbao were given to children to protect them from evil spirits.
* A surname from Chinese.
** 2015 May 19, “China teacher allowed to give birth and ordered to abort”, in AP News‎, archived from the original on 11 March 2023‎:Qin and Meng applied for permission to have a child from authorities in Huangshan city in eastern Anhui province, where her residency is registered, said the officer, who gave only his surname, also Qin.

##### Derived terms

* China

##### Related terms

* Qin Mountains

##### Statistics

* According to the 2010 United States Census, Qin is the 11759th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 2664 individuals. Qin is most common among Asian/Pacific Islander (97.94%) individuals.

##### See also

* Tang
* Han
* Jin
* Xin

#### References

* ↑ “Selected Glossary”, in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of China‎, Cambridge University Press, 1982, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 476, 477: “The glossary includes a selection of names and terms from the text in the Wade-Giles transliteration, followed by Pinyin, […] Ch'in (Qin) state, dynasty 秦”

### Etymology 2

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 沁 (Qìn).

#### Proper noun

Qin
* A county of Changzhi, Shanxi, China.

##### Translations
### Further reading

* Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Qin”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.
* Qin, Ch'in, Chin, Tsin at the Google Books Ngram Viewer.
* Saul B. Cohen, editor (1998), “Qin Xian”, in The Columbia Gazetteer of the World‎, volume 3, New York: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 2546, column 2

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Borrowed from Mandarin 秦 (Qín).

### Proper noun

Qin m pl
* Qin (ancient Chinese dynasty)

### Proper noun

Qin m
* Qin (an ancient empire in China)