1. 此「客」非彼客 The Word ‘Kè’ is Not ‘Hakka’

1. The Word ‘Kè’ is Not ‘Hakka’
References to the "Kè" in Chinese literature from the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, indicated two different types of classification.
Prior to the mid-Qing dynasty, the character "Kè" in literature referred to the "Hakka" as defined by ancestral origin.
The contemporary concept of the Hakka as an ethnicity or ethnic group gradually took shape after the mid-Qing dynasty.

- Ancestral origin concept
Those who leave their ancestral origin and migrate to other locations, including refugees and those who do not have a permanent address or who fail to register their households, were referred to as "Kè households," "Kè citizens," "Kè ancestry," and "Kè families." Using the description "Kè" for anyone of non-local origin contrasted with terms such as "主戶 (master household)," "native resident (土著)," or "local person (本地人)."

- Linguistic classification
"Hakka" describes those who speak the Hakka dialect, specifically those from the junction of the three provinces of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, whose dialect was contemporaneous with other ethnic Han dialect groups. In terms of ancestral origin, they did not leave the border area of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Those who spoke the Hakka dialect were the local "master households (主戶)" rather than "Kè." Only those who migrated away from this area would be classified as "Hakka" based on the ancestral origin concept.