Here's why this is significant:
* Mandarin is not a direct translation of "Mandarin". The term "Mandarin" comes from the Portuguese word "mandarim," which referred to high-ranking officials in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
* "普通话" reflects the language's purpose. It's the official language of the People's Republic of China, and is understood by most people across the country.
* It's considered a dialect of Chinese. There are many dialects within Chinese, and Mandarin is the most widely spoken.
So, while you may hear "Mandarin" used, it's more accurate to use the Chinese term 普通话 to refer to the standard language spoken in mainland China.