Nanjing dialect
The Ming (1368–1644) and Qing dynasties (1644–1912) began to use the term "guānhuà" (官話), or "official speech", to refer to the speech used at the courts. It seems that during the early part of this period, the standard was based on the Nanjing dialect, but later the Beijing dialect became increasingly influential, despite the mix of officials and commoners speaking various dialects in the capital, Beijing.