Britannica
Sources used in this answer
What are putonghua and guoyu used to describe?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
The terms putonghua and guoyu are used to describe Modern Standard Chinese.2
Putonghua, which translates to "common language," is the term used in China to refer to the official language. Guoyu, meaning "national language," is the term used to describe the same standard language in Taiwan. Both terms refer to the standardized form of speech that serves as the medium for education and media in their respective regions.12