Manchus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An ethnic group originating from northeastern China known for establishing the Qing dynasty; the people belonging to this group; the language spoken by this community
2. A historically significant tribe from the region of Manchuria responsible for ruling China during the Qing era; the individuals of this ethnic group; their associated Tungusic language
3. Descendants of a people from northeastern Asia who founded China's last imperial dynasty; members of this cultural group; the distinct language they used in their society

Etymology: The people's name comes from a word for a large river. In the Manchu language, "manju" most likely derives from a Proto-Tungusic term meaning a large river, specifically the Amur, which some scholars reconstruct as "Maŋgu" and others as "Mamgo". The people took their name from the river valley they inhabited in the northeast, so the ethnonym describes a place before it describes a nation. A rival explanation links the name to Sanskrit "mañjuśrī", the Buddhist bodhisattva Manjushri. The Manchu-Tungusic river theory is considered more probable, but the Buddhist connection is still discussed, and the Manchu ruling house was closely tied to Buddhism, which keeps the question open. The plural here refers to the people as a group, and the word is capitalised as an ethnic name in English.