nine-dash line

English

Etymology

Calque of Chinese 九段線／九段线 (Jiǔduànxiàn).

Proper noun

the nine-dash line

1. A set of line segments on various maps that have accompanied the claims of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China to various contested areas in the South China Sea.

   Synonyms: ten-dash line, eleven-dash line

   • 2023 July 8, John Gapper, “Barbie is a brand that keeps changing with the times”, in FT Weekend, page 9:

     Hollywood certainly has a cynical heart: Barbie was banned this week from opening in Vietnam for including on a map the “nine-dash line” that China uses to claim sovereignty over territory in the South China Sea.

Translations

set of line segments on various maps

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 九段線／九段线 (Jiǔduànxiàn)

• Vietnamese: đường chín đoạn (vi), đường lưỡi bò (vi), đường chữ U (vi), đường chín khúc (vi)