sinocentrism
/ˌsaɪnəʊˈsɛntɹɪzəm/
sinocentrism · noun — the belief, held by the ancient Chinese, that China was literally the centre of the world. It carries an Arena rating of 1183, earned across 34 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, sinocentrism ranks #117 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,665 of 17,153 for Most Incisive Words, #5,264 of 17,137 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #6,862 of 17,115 for Most Storied Words.
sinocentrism is pronounced /ˌsaɪnəʊˈsɛntɹɪzəm/.
Why “sinocentrism” is a great word
SINOCENTRISM — [Noun] The belief or practice of regarding China as the central or most significant cultural, political, or ethnic entity in the world. From the prefix Sino- (meaning 'relating to China or the Chinese') and the suffix -centrism (indicating a focus on or belief in the superiority of a particular center, such as a culture or people). Unlike Eurocentrism, which pivots the world upon a Western axis, or Han chauvinism, which narrows to ethnic supremacy, Sinocentrism posits a universal hierarchy emanating from the Middle Kingdom. It is the tributary system demanding ceremonial choreography, the historical map with the imperial court at its heart, and the profound assurance that all wisdom is measured by its own classical texts—a cosmology of centrality so complete it feels less like an argument than a natural law.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Sino- (prefix meaning ‘relating to China or the Chinese’) + -centrism (suffix indicating a focus on, or belief in the superiority of, one culture, people, place, or other thing).
noun
- The belief, held by the ancient Chinese, that China was literally the centre of the world.
- The practice of viewing the world from a Chinese perspective, with an implied belief, either consciously or subconsciously, in the pre-eminence of Chinese culture.
- Ethnocentrism among the Han people of China; Han chauvinism.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- sociocentrism 62% match — The tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own social group or society. vs sinocentrism →
- westcentrism 62% match — The practice of viewing the world from a Western perspective, with an implied belief, either consciously or subconsciously, in the preeminence of Western culture. vs sinocentrism →
- balkanocentrism 59% match — The practice of viewing the world from a Balkans perspective, with an implied belief, either consciously or subconsciously, in the preeminence of Balkans culture. vs sinocentrism →
- eurocentrism 57% match — The practice of viewing the world from a European perspective, with an implied belief, either consciously or subconsciously, in the preeminence of European culture. vs sinocentrism →
- sentiocentrism 57% match — A viewpoint or theory that places sentient beings at the center of something, giving preference to sentient beings above all other considerations. vs sinocentrism →
- geocentrism 57% match — A belief that the Earth is the center of the universe. vs sinocentrism →
- ethnocentrism 57% match — The tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own traditional, deferred, or adoptive ethnic culture. vs sinocentrism →
- ciscentrism 57% match — The practice or quality of being ciscentric. vs sinocentrism →