<p>When used with certain words, "中国" may be perceived more as a cultural/historical concept that has a vague boundary on what you want to refer to (the people, the land, the culture, etc).</p>

<p>Example: 周杰倫的中國風音樂／周杰伦的中国风音乐. Jay Chou's Chinese style music. (Jay is a popular artist from Taiwan.) </p>

<p>In this particular example, 中國 is similar to 中華 (The cultural concept). I think this is because 中国风 implies the usage of traditional style melodies, musical instruments, and lyrics, which is rooted in the cultural artifacts that have been existing for many centuries. The boundaries of "中国" in “中国风” feels vague, just like the bound of "China Proper" has kept changing over the many past centuries.</p>

<p>Another similar example: “中国话／中國話／中文”， the Chinese Language.</p>

<p>This may also happen in the phrase “中国历史”. The "中国" in this particular example would refer to the China encompassing both Mainland and Taiwan before Taiwan was ceded to Japan during the signing of《馬關條約》in year 1895, and/or the China during the Tang dynasty that did not include today's Tibet.
The word "China" may not even just refer to a particular ethnic group, e.g. the Han ethnic group (that accounts for 95%+ of China's population as of today), and the Han has been practically ruled over several times during history. Examples are the fall of the Song dynasty in the 12th century and the fall of the Ming dynasty in the 17th century when the Manchus ruled. (However, the rulers began to use Chinese characters, which is an evidence that some say would justify that they were "assimilated into China", rather than "they annihilated China".) That is another example the word "China" may refer to a concept that has a vague ethnic boundary.</p>

<p>For "大陆", "中国大陆" and when "中国" is used independently today, there shall be an implied geographic bound in today's world, and the bound is usually much more clearly defined, although it may slightly differ on the person's political viewpoint. "中国大陆" and "大陆" are used (only) to refer to People's Republic of China founded in 1949.</p>

<p>A little <em>digression</em> below:</p>

<p>The word "中国" is said to have gained its new meaning --- a modern "country/sovereignty" in 1912 when Republic of China was established, as an abbreviation of 中華民國 (1). Prior to that, "中国" may more often mean "the central area/district/city" or the capital city. Example: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>“湘娥啼竹素女愁，李憑*中國*彈箜篌" (《李憑箜篌引》， by 李賀, Tang Dynasty) (2)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>1) <a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B#.E8.AF.8D.E6.BA.90">https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B#.E8.AF.8D.E6.BA.90</a></p>

<p>2) <a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki">https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki</a>/李凭箜篌引</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-13T21:11:18.593Z
2013-10-15T05:44:23.460Z
2013-10-15T05:44:23.460Z
nitroglycerine
<pre><code>This is an easy question but may be answered differently based on cultural heritage.
</code></pre>

<p>In short 大陆 = PRC, 中国大陆 = PRC, 中国 = at least PRC but probably includes "disputed territories" i.e. Taiwan. This is the accepted use of these three terms by the overwhelming majority of Chinese speakers. </p>

<p>By some Chinese, 中国 is used to refer to PRC + Taiwan + Tibet, territories that are historically Chinese. By referring to 中国, some speakers may be expressing their political view that China is not just the mainland but includes the aforementioned places. These people tend to be KMT (Kuomingtang) sympathizers. They will say 大陆 to differentiate PRC from 中国, which in their mind is a bigger country than the one run by CCP. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-23T19:24:51.030Z
2013-10-23T19:24:51.030Z
grayQuant
<p>It depends on where this native Chinese comes from.</p>

<p>Chinese from mainland China tend to use "中国" to refer to the China including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Chinese from Taiwan who claim to be only Taiwanese not Chinese, use "中国" to refer to China, a country that Taiwan does not belong to. Chinese from Taiwan who claim to be both Taiwanese and Chinese often use "中国" to refer to the China that the Republic of China used to reign, which is bigger than the current PRC.</p>

<p>"中国大陆" is mainland China for Taiwanese. Taiwanese will use "中国大陆" or "内地"（literally inner land） to describe where a Chinese from mainland comes from. They also use these terms in TV news or shows to describe the place where something happened. A Chinese from mainland will also use "中国大陆" or "大陆"（very rarely "内地" which is not proper） to describe where he/she comes from when he/she is talking to a Taiwanese. However, Chinese from mainland will not use "中国大陆" or "大陆" to describe the place where something happened when talking to other Chinese.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-05T09:56:08.927Z
2014-06-05T09:56:08.927Z
Zhenglei
<p><strong>Geographical meaning:</strong></p>

<p>There are 4 parts: mainland (includes Tibet, Xinjiang and other provinces), Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.</p>

<p>In <strong>Taiwan</strong>, <strong>Hong Kong</strong> and <strong>Macau</strong>, 大陆 refers to mainland, which excludes Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.</p>

<p>People in mainland seldom use 大陆, they use 中国, which refers to mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and sometimes Taiwan. </p>

<p><strong>Political meaning:</strong></p>

<p>People in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang think that they are <strong>NOT</strong> part of China.</p>

<p>People in mainland think that China includes Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang.</p>

<p><strong>What should you do?</strong></p>

<p>In mainland, you should always use 中国, otherwise you will be pissed off.</p>

<p>In Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang, you better use mainland when referring mainland.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-09T04:19:57.753Z
2014-06-09T04:19:57.753Z
Kiddy
<p>中国包含大陆和台湾，香港，澳门。 中国是一个整体概念，而中国大陆是指的大陆31个省市自治区。但整个中国是34个地区。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-13T10:07:09.910Z
2021-02-13T10:07:09.910Z
Edison
<p>Do they generally mean the same thing? Is one more formal than the other? Both 大陆, 中国 seem to have the same number of hits on Baidu.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-22T02:32:56.190Z
People in mainland China speak 大陆, people in Hong Kong speak 内地 or 大陆, in Taiwan some speak 中国 to represent mainland China, while some others speak the same as Hong Kong. In China, we don't add the 中国 prefix before 大陆, just like that American use US without **A**merica.
xenophōn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-17T16:07:42.060Z
There should be a tag created called "political terms". The answer to these questions strongly depends on political opinions and potentially causes conflict in the forum.
River
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-06T17:03:28.553Z
大陆 and 中国大陆 are usually the same, I think both terms exclude HK and Macau. But the usage of those names is really an individual matter and also depends on the context. When I say 中国, though politically incorrect, sometimes I exclude Tibet and occasionally even areas beyond China proper ... Just remember political correctness (under American point of view) isn't a problem in China -- don't worry much about racism, nationalism, etc...
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-06T19:37:42.127Z
No much difference I feel... I don't care about politics...
George
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-07T03:09:52.357Z
Wikipedia has a [nice article](http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%A4%A7%E9%99%86) on this.
杨以轩
<difference>
When native Chinese refer to China, what's the difference between 大陆, 中国 and 中国大陆?
# When native Chinese refer to China, what's the difference between 大陆, 中国 and 中国大陆?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-10-06)

Do they generally mean the same thing? Is one more formal than the other? Both 大陆, 中国 seem to have the same number of hits on Baidu.

**Tags:** difference

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: 大陆 and 中国大陆 are usually the same, I think both terms exclude HK and Macau. But the usage of those names is really an individual matter and also depends on the context. When I say 中国, though politically incorrect, sometimes I exclude Tibet and occasionally even areas beyond China proper ... Just remember political correctness (under American point of view) isn't a problem in China -- don't worry much about racism, nationalism, etc...  
> **username_4**: No much difference I feel... I don't care about politics...  
> **username_5**: Wikipedia has a [nice article](http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%A4%A7%E9%99%86) on this.  
> **username_1**: People in mainland China speak 大陆, people in Hong Kong speak 内地 or 大陆, in Taiwan some speak 中国 to represent mainland China, while some others speak the same as Hong Kong. In China, we don't add the 中国 prefix before 大陆, just like that American use US without **A**merica.  
> **username_2**: There should be a tag created called "political terms". The answer to these questions strongly depends on political opinions and potentially causes conflict in the forum.  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2013-10-13. Score: 9

When used with certain words, "中国" may be perceived more as a cultural/historical concept that has a vague boundary on what you want to refer to (the people, the land, the culture, etc).

Example: 周杰倫的中國風音樂／周杰伦的中国风音乐. Jay Chou's Chinese style music. (Jay is a popular artist from Taiwan.)

In this particular example, 中國 is similar to 中華 (The cultural concept). I think this is because 中国风 implies the usage of traditional style melodies, musical instruments, and lyrics, which is rooted in the cultural artifacts that have been existing for many centuries. The boundaries of "中国" in “中国风” feels vague, just like the bound of "China Proper" has kept changing over the many past centuries.

Another similar example: “中国话／中國話／中文”， the Chinese Language.

This may also happen in the phrase “中国历史”. The "中国" in this particular example would refer to the China encompassing both Mainland and Taiwan before Taiwan was ceded to Japan during the signing of《馬關條約》in year 1895, and/or the China during the Tang dynasty that did not include today's Tibet.
The word "China" may not even just refer to a particular ethnic group, e.g. the Han ethnic group (that accounts for 95%+ of China's population as of today), and the Han has been practically ruled over several times during history. Examples are the fall of the Song dynasty in the 12th century and the fall of the Ming dynasty in the 17th century when the Manchus ruled. (However, the rulers began to use Chinese characters, which is an evidence that some say would justify that they were "assimilated into China", rather than "they annihilated China".) That is another example the word "China" may refer to a concept that has a vague ethnic boundary.

For "大陆", "中国大陆" and when "中国" is used independently today, there shall be an implied geographic bound in today's world, and the bound is usually much more clearly defined, although it may slightly differ on the person's political viewpoint. "中国大陆" and "大陆" are used (only) to refer to People's Republic of China founded in 1949.

A little *digression* below:

The word "中国" is said to have gained its new meaning --- a modern "country/sovereignty" in 1912 when Republic of China was established, as an abbreviation of 中華民國 (1). Prior to that, "中国" may more often mean "the central area/district/city" or the capital city. Example:

> “湘娥啼竹素女愁，李憑\*中國\*彈箜篌" (《李憑箜篌引》， by 李賀, Tang Dynasty) (2)

1) <https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B#.E8.AF.8D.E6.BA.90>

2) <https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki>/李凭箜篌引


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### Answer by username_7 on 2013-10-23. Score: 2

```
This is an easy question but may be answered differently based on cultural heritage.

```

In short 大陆 = PRC, 中国大陆 = PRC, 中国 = at least PRC but probably includes "disputed territories" i.e. Taiwan. This is the accepted use of these three terms by the overwhelming majority of Chinese speakers.

By some Chinese, 中国 is used to refer to PRC + Taiwan + Tibet, territories that are historically Chinese. By referring to 中国, some speakers may be expressing their political view that China is not just the mainland but includes the aforementioned places. These people tend to be KMT (Kuomingtang) sympathizers. They will say 大陆 to differentiate PRC from 中国, which in their mind is a bigger country than the one run by CCP.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2014-06-05. Score: 2

It depends on where this native Chinese comes from.

Chinese from mainland China tend to use "中国" to refer to the China including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Chinese from Taiwan who claim to be only Taiwanese not Chinese, use "中国" to refer to China, a country that Taiwan does not belong to. Chinese from Taiwan who claim to be both Taiwanese and Chinese often use "中国" to refer to the China that the Republic of China used to reign, which is bigger than the current PRC.

"中国大陆" is mainland China for Taiwanese. Taiwanese will use "中国大陆" or "内地"（literally inner land） to describe where a Chinese from mainland comes from. They also use these terms in TV news or shows to describe the place where something happened. A Chinese from mainland will also use "中国大陆" or "大陆"（very rarely "内地" which is not proper） to describe where he/she comes from when he/she is talking to a Taiwanese. However, Chinese from mainland will not use "中国大陆" or "大陆" to describe the place where something happened when talking to other Chinese.


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### Answer by username_9 on 2014-06-09. Score: 0

**Geographical meaning:**

There are 4 parts: mainland (includes Tibet, Xinjiang and other provinces), Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

In **Taiwan**, **Hong Kong** and **Macau**, 大陆 refers to mainland, which excludes Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

People in mainland seldom use 大陆, they use 中国, which refers to mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and sometimes Taiwan.

**Political meaning:**

People in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang think that they are **NOT** part of China.

People in mainland think that China includes Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang.

**What should you do?**

In mainland, you should always use 中国, otherwise you will be pissed off.

In Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang, you better use mainland when referring mainland.


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### Answer by username_10 on 2021-02-13. Score: -2

中国包含大陆和台湾，香港，澳门。 中国是一个整体概念，而中国大陆是指的大陆31个省市自治区。但整个中国是34个地区。


---

