华夏，炎黄子孙如何翻译？

Question: Why do Chinese call ourselves Huaxia people or the descendants of Yandi and Huangdi? What does that mean?

Answer: These two names are never used by non-Chinese. Huaxia has been in use for more than 2,000 years. It means glorious. The Chinese living along the Yellow River before the Christian era were proud of their achievements. They called themselves Huaxia, to distinguish from less developed minorities. They traced their origin to the two tribal leaders Yandi and Huangdi, who forged the first federation of tribes in the third millennium B.C. Up to this day, all Chinese all over the world still trace to this ancestry.

　　问: 为什么中国人自称华夏，又自称炎黄子孙？这是什么意思？

　　答: 这是中国人的自称，外国人不会用这一类说法。华夏一说已经使用了两千年，意思是辉煌昌盛。公元前黄河流域的中国人自称华夏，他们为自己的成就而非常自豪。自称华夏的目的是有别于相对落后的民族。他们认祖归宗到黄帝和炎帝时期。炎黄二帝在公元前三千年统一了黄河流域的部落，结成了一个强大的部落联盟。直到今天，所有海外华人文化寻根时依然自称是炎黄子孙。

如何翻译“华夏”、“炎黄”实在是一个难题。

　　炎黄子孙的译法则有以下几种，且多出自新华社的英文外电：

　　- the descendants of "Yandi and Huangdi Emperors", the "Dragon"and the "Cathay",

　　- the offsprings of Huangdi and Yandi, who are regarded as the common ancestors of all Chinese.

　　- the descendants of Yandi and Huangdi, legendary forefathers of the Chinese nation.

　　- the Yellow Emperor or Huangdi, who along with the Yan Emperor,is regarded as one of the founding fathers of Chinese civilisation.

　　有的报刊译为：The Yellow Emperor or Huangdi is known as the first ancestor of the Chinese people.

相信不久的将来，"Huaxia"也会跟"Kungfu"（功夫）、"Taiji"（太极）和"Fengshui"（风水）一样，成为英文通用词汇，取代了"Chinese martial art" 、 "Chinese shadow boxing" 和"Chinese geomancy"的地位。