Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • An island off the southeast coast of China, the seat of the Republic of China since 1949. Originally inhabited by Austronesian peoples, it was settled in the 1500s by Han Chinese, explored in 1590 by the Portuguese (who named the island Formosa), and held by the Dutch in the mid-1600s before being seized by China in 1683. Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895 and regained by China after World War II (1945). Taiwan broke off from mainland China in 1949 when the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-Shek fled from Mao Zedong's forces and established their government on the island. Taipei is the capital and the largest city.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun Common name for a country in East Asia. Official name: Republic of China, Its de facto capital is Taipei.
  • proper noun An island off the coast of mainland China, also known as Formosa since 16th century.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a government on the island of Taiwan established in 1949 by Chiang Kai-shek after the conquest of mainland China by the Communists led by Mao Zedong
  • noun an island in southeastern Asia 100 miles off the coast of mainland China in the South China Sea

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Tayuan, Tayoan, or other variants, meaning "foreigners" in Sirayan (a Formosan language used on the southwestern part of the island), referring to the early Chinese settlers. Recorded in Dutch records as "Tayouan" (and other variants), and in Chinese as "大員" (and other variants), as the name for a peninsula off the coast of Tainan. Eventually became the name of the entire island.

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Examples

  • There is no reason that people can't stop saying 'dalu' Although far worse is the rebarbative 'taiwan diqu' Taiwan region.

    Taipei Times Channels Me Michael Turton 2009

  • JAPAN/TAIWAN...observers actively involved in Taiwan affairs are expressing relief that President Ma today seems to have re-established a degree of adult supervision over extreme nationalist elements in his own KMT party...thus helping to defuse the maritime crisis boiling away since a June 10 incident with Japan.

    Archive 2008-06-01 Michael Turton 2008

  • TAIWAN NEWS: However, Tsai, who was MAC chairman from 2000-2004, stated that what the Ma government had gained in the SEF-ARATS agreements "were what we almost gained but they did not gain any more and at the cost of accepting political conditions including agreeing to Beijing's 'one China principle' and defining Taiwan as a 'region' and not a state."

    Archive 2008-11-01 Michael Turton 2008

  • TAIWAN...despite analogies in the press, and especially in the recently concluded presidential campaign on Taiwan, the differences between Taipei and Lhasa are too obvious to require much discussion.

    Archive 2008-04-01 Michael Turton 2008

  • AND BUSH ADMINISTRATION's LACK OF INITIATIVES IN BRINGING TAIWAN INTO THE WHO In a letter to President Bush dated August 1, 2008, five Senators led by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) express disappointment about the World Health Assembly's (WHA) decision last May to again exclude Taiwan from participating in the annual weeklong meegmail.com, hju.ting in Geneva and urge President Bush to seek inclusion of the 23 million people in the World Health Organization (WHO).

    Archive 2008-08-01 Michael Turton 2008

  • TAIWAN...we've noted in many Reports that while the US has tried for years to encourage a more productive Cross-Strait dialogue, in hopes of reducing tensions between China and Taiwan, there is a built-in potential contradiction.

    Archive 2008-06-01 Michael Turton 2008

  • TAIWAN ARMS...as noted in the Summary, we gave the wrong impression in our Report of Monday on why the Taiwan arms sale notifications expected by Congress last week were not sent up.

    Archive 2008-10-01 Michael Turton 2008

  • Now I know you DO search for taiwan blogs once in a while, just like you mentioned in "what's up in Taiwan" podcast.

    New Blogs on the roll Michael Turton 2007

  • The truth about Taiwan Stupid taiwan politicians fight this is because of Low education system of Taiwan Low education = fight = Taiwan

    WN.com - Articles related to Stand up to the enemies of Internet freedom 2010

  • TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Former Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian is appealing the Taipei district court decision to detain him.

    My Sinchew - 2009

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