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Glite Dictionary
Republic of China

Republic of China

9 4.1
A government on the island of Taiwan since 1949
  • proper noun
  • Formal
translation icon : República de China
  • The government of the Republic of China is based in Taiwan.
  • Republic of China on Taiwan
  • Republic of China (ROC)

Examples

  • 21 March 1990: Lee Teng-hui is elected as the eighth president of the Republic of China by the National Assembly.

    Academic text (1992)

  • 25 December 1947: The constitution of the Republic of China (ROC) is drafted.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The representative of the Republic of China will now sign.

    MacArthur (1977)

  • In discussions about Taiwan, many refer to the Republic of China for its unique political status.

  • The Republic of China was established after the Chinese Nationalists retreated to Taiwan in 1949.

Synonyms

Taiwan
vsRepublic of China
552 2.2

An island off the southeast coast of China that has its own government

is the formal government name rather than the island or territory
Nationalist China
vsRepublic of China
7.2

A government on Taiwan set up in 1949 by Chiang Kai-shek called the Republic of China

is the formal official name used for that same government

Surface Forms

Republic of China main

Morphology

republic + of + China

The phrase is a straightforward composition: 'republic' (a state governed by elected representatives) + 'of' + 'China' yields a republican state called China. This naming pattern ('Republic of X') is cross‑linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will grasp it denotes a political entity, even if they may not know the specific historical/Taiwanese details.

Etymology

Republic of China comes from a time when rule by emperors ended and leaders set up a new government called a republic for the country of China. After 1949 the government moved to the island of Taiwan but kept the same name, so today Republic of China is the 'official name' used by Taiwan.