Editing Names of China (section)

=== Tianchao and Tianxia ===
{{Main|Celestial Empire|Tianxia}}
{{Transliteration|zh|Tianchao}} ({{lang|zh-Hant|{{linktext|天朝}}}}; {{lang-zh|p=Tiāncháo}}), translated as 'heavenly dynasty' or 'Celestial Empire',<ref name="tianchao">{{cite book |last=Wang |first=Zhang |title=[[Never Forget National Humiliation|Never Forget National Humiliation: Historical Memory in Chinese Politics and Foreign Relations]] |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-231-14891-7}}</ref> and {{Transliteration|zh|Tianxia}} ({{lang|zh-Hant|{{linktext|天下}}}}; {{lang-zh|p=Tiānxià}}) translated as '[[All under heaven]]', have both been used to refer to China. These terms were usually used in the context of civil wars or periods of division, with the term ''{{Transliteration|zh|Tianchao}}'' evoking the idea that the realm's ruling dynasty was appointed by heaven,<ref name=tianchao /> or that whoever ends up reunifying China is said to have ruled ''{{Transliteration|zh|Tianxia}}'', or everything under heaven. This fits with the traditional Chinese theory of rulership, in which the emperor was nominally the political leader of the entire world and not merely the leader of a nation-state within the world. Historically, the term was connected to the later [[Zhou dynasty]] ({{BCE|{{circa|1046}}–256}}), especially the [[Spring and Autumn period]] (eighth to fourth century BCE) and the [[Warring States period]] (from there to 221 BCE, when China was reunified by Qin). The phrase ''{{Transliteration|zh|Tianchao}}'' continues to see use on Chinese internet discussion boards, in reference to China.<ref name=tianchao />

The phrase ''{{Transliteration|zh|Tianchao}}'' was first translated into English and French in the early 19th century, appearing in foreign publications and diplomatic correspondences,<ref name=mailt>{{cite web|url=https://mailtribune.com/archive/-celestial-origins-come-from-long-ago-in-chinese-history|title='Celestial' origins come from long ago in Chinese history|date=20 January 2011|access-date=25 November 2019|work=Mail Tribune|publisher=Rosebud Media LLC|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112014440/https://mailtribune.com/archive/-celestial-origins-come-from-long-ago-in-chinese-history|url-status=live}}</ref> with the translated phrase "Celestial Empire" occasionally used to refer to China. During this period, the term ''celestial'' was used by some to refer to the subjects of the Qing in a non-prejudicial manner,<ref name=mailt /> derived from the term "Celestial Empire". However, the term ''celestial'' was also used in a pejorative manner during the 19th century, in reference to Chinese immigrants in Australasia and North America.<ref name=mailt /> The translated phrase has largely fallen into disuse in the 20th century.