Here's a breakdown:
* 汉 (hàn): Refers to the Han people, the majority ethnic group in China.
* 语 (yǔ): Means "language".
Therefore, "Hanyu" is the official name for the Chinese language spoken by the Han people, which is the most widely spoken language in China.
However, "Hanyu" is often used interchangeably with "Putonghua" (普通话), which means "common language". Putonghua is the standard dialect of Mandarin, promoted as the national language of China.
So, while "Hanyu" refers to the broader language family, "Putonghua" is the specific standardized version of Mandarin.