Hua–Yi distinction

During the late Zhou dynasty, the inhabitants of the Central Plains began to distinguish between Hua and Yi (Chinese: 華夷秩序; pinyin: huáyí zhìxù), referred to by some historians as the Sino–barbarian dichotomy. They defined themselves as part of the cultural and political region known as Huaxia, which they contrasted with the surrounding regions home to "outsiders", conventionally known as the "Four Barbarians" (literally, "four Yi"). Although Yi is usually translated as "barbarian", other translations of this term in English include "foreigners", "ordinary others", "wild tribes" and "uncivilized tribes". The Hua–Yi distinction asserted Chinese cultural superiority, but implied that outsiders could become Chinese by adopting their culture and customs, hence essentially not a racialized ideology. This distinction was not unique to the area today known as China, but was also applied by various Vietnamese, Japanese, and Korean regimes in the Sinosphere, each of whom considered itself at one point in history to be a legitimate successor to Huaxia civilization.