Place names in China primarily refers to

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

names, but also to those used by China's minorities.

Origins

In his study of place-names in China, J. E. Spencer notes that "although Chinese names indicate both domestic cultural and geographical influences, they almost never indicate cultural influence from other parts of the world", a tendency that also appeared to be characteristic of Chinese place-names in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. Tibetan, Mongolian, Uighur and tribal minorities of China's names are phonetically transcribed into Chinese.

In Chinese grammar

Names for places in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, when referred to in Chinese contain a class identifier. In English this is often translated, while the rest of the name is not. The class identifier in Chinese is placed at the end, in English with the exceptions of mountains and lakes the identifier is placed at the end too. For names of lakes and mountains "X Lake" / "Lake X" and "X Mountain" / "Mount X" both is used. Some mountain ranges like

Tian Shan The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the "Mountains of God/Heaven", is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia. The highest peak is Jengish Chokusu at high and located in Kyrgyzstan. Its lowest point is ...

are referred to English by the Chinese name. "Tian" means sky or heaven and "Shan" means mountain(s), so Tian Shan literally translates as the "Heaven Mountains".

List of class names

E = English, C = Chinese, P =

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

{, class="wikitable sortable" ! Group ! Class (E) ! Class (C) ! Class (P) ! Example (E) ! Example (P) , ---- , Administrative , Autonomous Region , 自治区 , Zìzhìqū ,

Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), often shortened to Tibet in English or Xizang in Pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China. It was established in 1965 to replace the ...

, Xīzàng Zìzhìqū , ---- , Administrative , Province , 省 , Shěng ,

Hebei Province Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

, Héběi Shěng , ---- , Administrative , County , 县 / 縣 , -xian , She County, Hebei , Shè Xiàn , ---- , Administrative , Province (archaic) , 州 , -zhou ,

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

, , ---- , Administrative , Autonomous county , 自治县 , Zìzhìxiàn ,

Dachang Hui Autonomous County Dachang Hui Autonomous County (; Xiao'erjing: ) is a Hui autonomous county of Hebei province. It is under the administration of Langfang prefecture-level city, and was established in 1955. The Hui Muslim county of Dachang was subjected to slaugh ...

, , ---- , Administrative , City , 市 , Shì , Chengdu City , Chéngdū Shì , ---- , Administrative , District , 区 , Qū , Bincheng District , Bīnchéng Qū , ---- , Administrative , League , 盟 , Méng ,

Alxa League Alxa League or Alashan League ( zh, c=阿拉善盟, p=Ālāshàn Méng; , Mongolian Cyrillic: Алшаа аймаг) is one of 12 prefecture level divisions and 3 extant leagues of Inner Mongolia. The league borders Mongolia to the north, B ...

, Ālāshàn Méng , ---- , Administrative , Autonomous banner , 自治旗 , Zìzhìqí ,

Evenk Autonomous Banner Ewenki Autonomous Banner or Evenk Autonomous Banner ( Evenki: ; Mongolian: ; zh, s=鄂温克族自治旗) is an autonomous banner that lies on the border between northwestern Greater Khingan and Hulun Buir grasslands and directly south of the ...

, Èwēnkèzú Zìzhìqí , ---- , Landform , Mountains , 山脉 , ,

Ailao Mountains The Ailao Mountains are located in Yunnan, China. They extend northward from the Yun range, and are located at the intersection of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the Tibetan Plateau, and the Hengduan Mountains. The Ailao Mountain Nature Reserv ...

, Āiláo Shān , ---- , Landform , Mountain , 山 , Shān ,

Tianmu Mountain Tianmu Mountain, Mount Tianmu, or Tianmushan () is a mountain in Lin'an County west of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, in eastern China. It is made up of two peaks: West Tianmu () and East Tianmu (). Twin ponds near the top of the peaks led to the name of ...

, Tiānmù Shān , ---- , Landform , Peak , 峰 , Feng , , , ---- , Landform , Island , 岛 , Dǎo ,

Liugong Island Liugong Island ( zh, s=, t=, p=Liúgōng Dǎo, w=Liu-kung Tao) is a small island located on the northeastern edge of Shandong Peninsula, China, at the mouth of Weihai Bay. It is known as the "birthplace of China's first modern navy" and is also ...

, Liúgōng Dǎo , ---- , Landform , Plateau , 草原 , Cǎoyuán , Bashang Plateau , Bàshàng Cǎoyuán , ---- , Landform , Peninsula , 半岛 , Bàndǎo ,

Shandong Peninsula The Shandong Peninsula or Jiaodong (tsiaotung) Peninsula is a peninsula in Shandong in eastern China, between the Bohai Sea to the north and the Yellow Sea to the south. The latter name refers to the east and Jiaozhou. Geography The waters ...

, Shāndōng Bàndǎo , ---- , Landform , Valley , 沟 (formally 峡) , , Insukati Valley , , ---- , Landform , Pass , 关 , Guān , Kunlun Pass , Kūnlún Guān , ---- , Landform ,

Desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

, 沙漠 , Shāmò ,

Taklamakan Desert The Taklamakan Desert ( ) is a desert in northwest China's Xinjiang region. Located inside the Tarim Basin in Southern Xinjiang, it is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south, the Pamir Mountains to the west, the Tian Shan range to the ...

, Tǎkèlāmǎgān Shāmò , ---- , Landform ,

Gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

, 峡 , Xiá , Wu Gorge , Wū Xiá , ---- , Landform , Basin , 盆地 , Péndì ,

Tarim Basin The Tarim Basin is an endorheic basin in Xinjiang, Northwestern China occupying an area of about and one of the largest basins in Northwest China.Chen, Yaning, et al. "Regional climate change and its effects on river runoff in the Tarim Basin, Ch ...

, Tǎlǐmù Péndì , ---- , Landform , Cave , 洞 , Dòng , Xianren Cave , Xiānrén Dòng , ---- , Landform , Plain , 平原 , Píngyuán , Chengdu Plain , Chéngdū Píngyuán , ---- , Landform , Rock , 磯/矶 , Jī , Swallow Rock , Yànzi Jī , ---- , Landform/Water , Glacier , 冰川 , bīngchuān , Mingyong Glacier , , ---- , Landform/Water , Spring , 泉 , Quán , Baimai Spring , Bǎimài Quán , ---- , Landform/Water , Waterfall , 瀑布 , Pùbù , Hukou Waterfall , Hǔkǒu Pùbù , ---- , Landform/Water , River , 河 , Hé ,

Huai River The Huai River, formerly romanized as the Hwai, is a major river in East China, about long with a drainage area of . It is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the two longest rivers and largest drainage basins ...

, Huái Hé , ---- , Landform/Water , River , 江 , Jiāng , Chang River , Cháng Jiāng , ---- , Landform/Water , Lake , 湖 , Hú ,

Ayding Lake Aydingkol ( Uyghur: , , ), Aydingkul (Mongol) or Ayding () is a lake in the Turpan Depression, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, PR China. At 154 m below sea level, it is the lowest point in China. This lake is now totally dried, and very m ...

, Àidīng Hú , ---- , Landform/Water , Sea, X Gulf , 海 , Hǎi ,

Bohai Sea The Bohai Sea ( zh, c=渤海, p=Bó Hǎi, l=Bo Sea) is a gulf/inland sea approximately in area on the east coast of Mainland China. It is the northwestern and innermost extension of the Yellow Sea, to which it connects via the Bohai Strait. It ...

, Bó Hăi , ---- , Landform/Water , Bay , 灣 , Wān ,

Bohai Bay Bohai Bay () is one of the three major bays of the Bohai Sea, the northwestern and innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea. It is bounded by the coastlines of eastern Hebei province ( Tangshan and Cangzhou), Tianjin municipality and northern Sha ...

, Bóhǎi Wān , ---- , Landform/Water , Strait , 海峡 , Hǎixiá ,

Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a strait separating the island of Taiwan and the Asian continent. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. Names Former names of the Tai ...

, , ---- , Landform/Water , Reservoir , 水库 , Shuǐkù , Jiangkou Reservoir , Jiāngkǒu Shuǐkù , ---- , Landform/Water , Harbour , 港 , Gang ,

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, Xiānggǎng

Directions

Chinese reckon five directions: * East: 东, Dong — e.g.,

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

(广东), "Eastern Part of the Expanse" * West: 西, Xi — e.g.,

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

(西安), "Western Pacified Area" * South: 南, Nan — e.g.,

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

(海南), "South of the Sea" * North: 北, Bei — e.g.,

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

(北京), "Northern Capital" * Central/Middle: 中, Zhong —e.g.,

Hanzhong Hanzhong ( zh, s= , t= , l=middle of the Han River (Hubei), Han River; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in Southern Shaanxi, the southwest of Shaanxi, Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gans ...

(汉中), "Middle of the Han" From the early concept of

yin and yang Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...

(阴 and 阳), originally based upon exposure to the sun, many placenames also incorporate them. Old

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

was located on the north bank of the Luo. Old Hanyang was located on the north bank of the Han, while the eponymous county seat of Hanyin was located on the south bank. When a placename is derived from a mountain, however, these positions are reversed: the ''yang'' side is the mountain's south face and the ''yin'' side its north.

References

Chinese language

Place name etymologies

Origins

In Chinese grammar

List of class names

Directions

See also

References