Lhasa (Holy Land---Tibetan)
Handan (Handan Learning to Walk)
A brief discussion of Chinese place names
From apes to humans, The transition from barbarism to civilization has created the human tendency to name things with language and words. Take a look: In the sky and on the earth, macroscopically and microscopically, there seems to be nothing that has been recognized by humans but has no name. Even the moon, which was impossible to set foot on in ancient times, was created by the imaginative Chinese as a "Guanghan Palace".
Human beings mark many geographical entities as a place name, which is used to identify symbols of different regions. It is a tool for people to communicate in social activities, and it is also a cultural treasure for social development and human progress. There are a large number of ancient place names and place names with rich cultural connotations in our country. They are found in mountains, streams, lakes, scenic spots, cultural relics, memorial sites, ancient sites, ancient buildings and streets. They are geographical indications and vivid portrayals of our country's long history, splendid culture and numerous celebrities. Although some ancient relics have been lost in the vicissitudes of history, leaving only their names, future generations can rely on these names to evoke the memory of history and find their traces. It is an ancient geographical coordinate. The existence of a large number of ancient place names reveals the cultural aspects of China at different times and spaces. It is a long scroll showing Chinese history and a living picture of people's livelihood in time and space. It should be protected as a precious cultural heritage of our country. "Place names are national cultural heritage", this is the positioning of the material, social and cultural significance of place names by the 5th United Nations Conference on Standardization of Place Names.
Our country has a vast territory, a long history, and many ethnic groups. It is not only the country with the largest number of place names in the world, but also has a profound cultural heritage that is unmatched by other countries. It is a "rich mine" of place name cultural resources. . The basic structure of culture can be divided into four levels of content: the first is material culture, including human-made production, living utensils and related technologies; the second is spiritual culture, including people's thoughts, beliefs, and values. and mentality, etc.; the third is behavioral culture, which refers to people's conventional writing patterns in social interactions; the fourth is institutional culture, which is reflected in the social norms established by people in social practice. The origin and classification of place names are generally discussed from these four aspects.
Classification and Origin of Place Names
There are many types of place names with different meanings. Only some of the more common types can be listed here. Moreover, the boundaries of the classification of some place names are relatively blurred. It can be said that they are divided by surnames or landforms, so I will not elaborate on their categories in this article.
1. Named after landform features or features.
Such as Heilongjiang, Dahenggou, Qingyatou, Shiyazhi, Yaozimen, Zhongchakou, Lingdi, Potou, Shaao, Hongtupo, Changchi, Hongyadi, Zhaimenzhi , carriage, magnetic basin water, Kuanping, Baishi, Heishiyao, Huanglongtou, Cenfeng, etc. The typical one is "Silong Village", which is named after the mountainous landscape running north-south like a dragon and the terrain where the village is located. It is named Huanglongtou (Dragon King's Head), Huanglongao, Longchao Bay and Qinglongpo. There are also Elephant Trunk Mountain in Guilin and so on.
There is another format, which is a combination of surname and place name, which is a comprehensive part of the first and second formats. There are countless such names in places with dense populations and diverse landforms. For example, *家*, usually the first * is the surname, and the second * usually refers to the landform, such as ditch, beam, valley, mausoleum, hill, Fu, fan, pier, township, pavilion, Ju, dock, wall, fortress, garrison, fort, town, shop, market, market, field, service, flat, ping, gate, stone, alkali, temple, pagoda, tsui, store, canal, ridge, bay, hui, nao, chuan, field, Kilns, cities, platforms, ponds, cols, tunkans, tombs, etc. Specific examples include: Kangjiagou, Lijialiang, Qijiazhuang, Majiabian, Xiaojiahui, Liangjiazhai, Caijiaping, Guocun, Hecun, Lujiacun, Niujiacun, Fujianao, Jiajiayu, Zhengjiagou, Liujiapo, Zhao Jiacha, Guojiaping, Sujialing, Yuanjialiang, Wangjiawan, Zhujiafen, etc.
Among them, names such as "Yuege Village" evolved due to changes in pronunciation. Yuegezhuang is actually just Yuejiazhuang. These are all due to the development and changes of Chinese pronunciation.
In the Pre-Qin Dynasty, there were many place names named after "Qiu", "Ling" and "Fu" in the North China Plain, which reflected the geographical environment at that time - the landform was undulating, and people chose high ground to live in order to avoid floods. , the disappearance of "hills" shows that they were later silted up by the overflow of rivers such as the Yellow River; in the Han Dynasty, places were named after "township", "ting" and "ju", which reflected the local grassroots administrative system at that time; in the Six Dynasties At that time; the emergence of place names such as dock, wall, fortress, garrison and fort should be related to the large land ownership of the wealthy families at that time and the need to defend against social unrest; after the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the "town", "market" and "city" that appeared in the mainland Reflecting the rise of small commercial cities, "field" and "wu" indicate the development of the government-run handicraft industry. Coastal place names such as "Buer", "Buye" and "Buqi" often contain the word "Bu", which can be considered to be caused by the pronunciation of "Bu", the ancient Northeastern coastal people. These place names condense national, linguistic and historical materials. , which is of great help in understanding ancient tribal migrations. Some are in the format of surname + landform word + son, such as: Niuzhaizi, Haoyaozi, etc. There are also place names in formats such as Bawang Tomb and Gongzhu Tomb. There are many types of place names related to landforms and surnames, and they are the most common. We will not list them all here.
Handan, Hebei Province is a national historical and cultural city. Its name first appeared in the ancient book "Bamboo Book Annals". The origin of the place name of Handan is generally based on the annotation of Zhang Yan, a native of the Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period, in "Hanshu Geography": "Handan Mountain is under the east city, single, complete, and the city outline is from the city, so the word "Yi" was added." It means that the place name of Handan comes from Handan Mountain. Under the east city of Handan, there is a mountain called Handan. Dan is the end of the mountain range. Handan Mountain ends here, so it is named Handan because the city outline starts from Yi, so add Yi (阝) to the single side to become Handan. As a place name, the word Handan has been used unchanged for three thousand years. It is a special case of Chinese place name culture.
Many place names in our country contain the word "zhou" or "zhou", so it is necessary to make a special explanation here.
On the basis of the word "Chuan", the ancients created the word "zhou" to express the small island in "Chuan". The original meaning of "zhou" is an island (or sandbar) in a river or a land in the water. The earliest collection of poems in my country, "The Book of Songs·Zhounan·Guan Sui" contains the sentence "Guan Guan Sui dove, in the river state". "Shuowen Jiezi": "A state is called a state if you can live in the water. It surrounds it. From Chongchuan. In the past, Yao suffered floods, and people lived on high soil in the water. Or it is called Jiuzhou." In the ancient prehistoric era, people had not yet established administrative divisions. The concept and zoning unit, Emperor Yao once divided the "water, high soil" and "state" into nine regions (Jiuzhou) for management. This is the prototype of later generations using "state" as an administrative division. However, the scope of "states" before the Qin and Han Dynasties was very uncertain. There were theories of "Nine States" and "Twelve States", as well as the theory of "Great Nine States". The legendary local administrative division system does not actually exist. In order to strengthen the centralization of power, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty divided the territory into thirteen supervisory areas, called the Thirteen Prefectures, starting from areas near the capital, and appointed governors to inspect the territory. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, "zhou" began to become a first-level administrative division above the county level. In later generations, "states" as administrative divisions were either preserved or abolished, and their scope was larger or smaller, but they are still used today. When "zhou" was used as the name of an administrative division to represent "Chixian Shenzhou", it seemed inappropriate to use it to represent "water and land", so ancient literati added the radical "氵" in front of the word "zhou" , using "zhou" to replace "zhou", so that "zhou" has the original meaning of "zhou", while "zhou" in modern Chinese language is only limited to the name of local administrative divisions and city place names. Among the names of cities above the county level in my country with "zhou" or "zhou", except for "Zhuzhou City" and "Manzhouli City" which use "zhou", the others generally use "zhou".
2. Named after the surname of the family or ethnic group.
The ancient Chinese social structure model is a patriarchal system with blood relations as the link. This is the social foundation of Chinese traditional culture, which determines China's social and political structure and its ideology. Mencius also said: "The foundation of the world lies in the state, and the foundation of the state is at home." Therefore, villages or cities named after surnames or ethnic group surnames are the most common and most common in Chinese place names. "Birds of a feather flock together, and people divide into groups." People in patriarchal societies often live together according to their surnames, and their surnames become the most distinguishing highlight in place names. The format is generally *Village (township, county). For example, in Lushi County in Henan Province, there are also some village names such as Jiangjia, Hanjia, Mijia, Licun, etc. In addition, there are village names in formats such as Qincun Liujia and Qindian Zhangjia.
However, there are also places where the situation is reversed and the surnames are based on the place of residence. For example, the officials of the public clan of Qi State lived in Dongguo, Nanguo, Xiguo and Beiguo respectively, and these four Guos became the surnames.
3. Name according to the direction.
Such as Beipo, Beishe, Beilou, Beigou, Beiyawan; Dongzhai, Dongnao, Dongping, Dongyuan, Dongpo, Dongshan, Donglan; Nancun, Nangou, Nanhe , Nanling, Nanshe, Nanliu, Nanyu, Nanzui, Nanbeizi; Xicun, Xidu, Xishe, Xiwan, Xiyu, Xizhang, Xipo, Xinao, Xishantou; Zhonglan, Zhongzhuang, Zhongshe, Zhongxing Road, Zhongxinliang, etc. The position is often combined with the surname, which has been mentioned before.
Like "state", "Yin" and "Yang" also often appear in place names. In middle school Chinese textbooks, we all know that "Mountains to the south and water to the north are yang, and mountains to the north and water to the south are yin." The Feng Shui theory originated from the Book of Changes in ancient China is very particular (it is not completely superstitious, please refer to the first issue of "China National Geography" in 2006). Therefore, the ups and downs of the terrain are described using the Yin Yang and Five Elements methods.
Therefore, the south of the mountain is called yang because it can shine on the sun, and the north of the mountain is called yin; and the water (river) is just the opposite, the north of the water is yang, and the south of the water is yin. But there are exceptions. Hanyang, Hubei Province is located to the south of the Han River. The reason is that the Han River changed its course in history from the south to the north of Hanyang City, but the name of the city remained unchanged, so it became a special case.
4. Named after plants.
Such as Pingguoyuan, Zaolingou, Yulinnao, Madigou, Yanglin Kiln, Xiangcaoping, Cypress, Luyagou, Chunshudi, Tanshangou, Yaoshupo, etc.
5. Named after animals.
There are Luyu, Masiang, Xiongping, Heshan, Maopu, Baochuan, Yangquan, Aotou, Luotuodao, Zhangerping, Sheeppo, Xianao, Shiziping, etc.
6. Named after myths.
There are immortals, divine springs, stone Buddhas, Samantabhadra, temple grounds, Zen rooms, Buddhist halls, mud rivers, stone cows, divine heads, Guanyin hall, Luohan hall, Jiangxiangping, lion god, old stone god, Jade Girl Peak, Wangfu Terrace, etc. The origins of these place names are all related to an ancient legend, such as:
Shanxi Shenchi County - because the Ming Dynasty built a divine bunker in the territory, and there was a pool of water outside the west gate of the fort. It is said that the water "comes out of nowhere" The source leaves no trace, the drought never dries up, and the rain never fills up. It’s called the Divine Pool.”
Fengxiang County, Shaanxi Province - According to legend, Nong Yu, the daughter of Duke Mu of Qin, was good at playing the flute, which attracted a hermit from Huashan who was good at playing the flute. They met and got married, and then flew away on a phoenix. In the Tang Dynasty, With this meaning, the name was changed to Fengxiang.
Lion God Village - Legend has it that a young girl encountered a tiger while passing here and called for help. Suddenly a male lion jumped out and killed the tiger. The girl was saved and the lion disappeared. The villagers set up a lion temple to worship, and Yi Village was named the Lion God Village.
Sidi Village - In the past, there was no water here. One day, I suddenly saw a white deer digging at the rocks, and a spring gushed out. The old village is called Shenquan Village. Because the village is located under the "Dangli Temple" on Beizhaipo, it is commonly known as "Sidi Village".
Luohantang Village - Legend has it that one of the 100 Iron Arhat Sutras transported by Wenshu Monastery in Mount Wutai was lost, and it transformed into a human being who stayed overnight but sat in its original form. The villagers built a cliff hall to worship in it, and then changed the name of the village. For Luohantang Village.
7. Place names derived from historical figures or historical events.
That is, place names based on historical figures or historical activities related to them, and place names based on certain historical events and certain historical facts. Such as: Changxian Gate, Tongyuan Gate, Yingen Gate, etc.
Qixian County was named after Qi Xi, an official of the Jin Dynasty, lived here during the Spring and Autumn Period.
Jiexiu (city) was named because it is said that during the Spring and Autumn Period, Jie Zitui, a nobleman of Jin State, lived in seclusion in his field and died in Mianshan within the territory.
Jishan (County), it is said that Houji once taught people how to draft manuscripts in the mountains in the south of the county. This mountain was later called Jiwang Mountain, and the place was named "Jishan" because of its mountain. ".
Zuoquan (county) was called Luoyang in ancient times, but was renamed several times later. In September 1942, in memory of General Zuo Quan who died for his country, it was renamed Zuoquan County.
Wenxi (county) is located in the southwest of Shanxi Province. It was originally named Zuoyi County. In the sixth year of Yuanding in the Western Han Dynasty (111 BC), when Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, passed through this place, he heard that the army was attacking southern Guangdong. (now Guangdong), the county was renamed Wenxi.
Lingshi (county) was named after the ancient meteorite discovered when Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty was digging river channels in the tenth year of his reign.
8. Place names with meanings.
These place names are either recorded in historical records or sometimes quoted from poems.
Generally speaking, they are the names of cities. There is a Fanzhi (county) in Shanxi, which is named because "the city is located at the foot of the mountain and is surrounded by mountains." Therefore, "Fanzhi" is actually a general description of the terrain features surrounded by mountains in the county.
For example:
Chengdu: The earliest explanation of the word Chengdu is "Taiping Huanyu Ji" (Volume 72) of Song Dynasty Music History. Le Shi believes that Chengdu got its name because "the King of Zhou Dynasty came down from Liangshan to Qiqi, and established a city in one year, and Chengdu in two years, so it was named "Chengdu". The name of Chengdu Prefecture and County in "Fangyu Shenglan" written by Zhu Mu of the Song Dynasty It is believed that "it is based on the so-called "Three Years of Chengdu" in "Historical Records". This statement is widely circulated and has a great influence. There is also a saying that Emperor Wang Du Yu’s new camp passed through this capital, so it was named ‘Chengdu’, which means success, achievement, and completion.” Furthermore, according to the “Book of Mountains and Seas”, there are mountains that “Chengdu contains the sky” and “Chengdu”. According to the written records of "Hou Zhishan", it is believed that "Cheng" in Chengdu is the name of an ancient tribe or country. Its character shape is the combination of Wu and Ding. Wu is the image of an axe, and Ding is like an arrow or an arrow hitting a target. Chenghou is named after this character. As a symbol of the power of the tribal chief, the word "Du" refers to the intersection of two rivers in Tibetan. According to this interpretation, the meaning of the word Chengdu should be the place where the two rivers meet. Some people think that the word Chengdu is "just a translation of the two sounds of Shu language 'Chengdu' in Central Plains Chinese characters." There are many place names with controversial origins in China.
Changchun: Regarding the origin of the place name of Changchun, according to some geographical records, there is the following statement: One theory is that Changchun was named after the periwinkle flower. This statement is briefly mentioned in "Research on Manchurian Place Names". : That is, "Changchun means Changchun, which is a synonym for rose"; the second theory is: According to the "Changchun County Chronicle", the Changchun Hall "was established in a place originally a few miles east of Changchun Fort, and the name came from this. And on the day when the place where it was built was renamed by the natives, a new city was built. "From this we can conclude that the name of Changchun is because the hall is located near Changchun Fort. However, where does the name of Changchun Fort come from? According to the 1982 "Changchun Place Names" data: Changchun Fort was moved here from It was named by the Han people with auspicious meaning; on the other hand, Changchun Fort followed the old name of Changchun Prefecture in the Liao and Jin Dynasties, so the place was originally under the jurisdiction of Changchun Prefecture. Thirdly, Qianlong passed by Changbai Mountain several times in the summer to worship his ancestors. When I came here, I found that the climate here was much cooler than that of Shengjing, and the scenery was pleasant, so I casually recited the poem "Spring is always there under the Changbai Mountain, and everyone loves it by the Yitong River", so the establishment of this place began in the 5th year of Jiaqing (1800). The local administrative agency is named "Changchun Hall" from the first sentence.
Wuxi: There are two theories about the origin of the place name "Wuxi". One is the current popular one. It is believed that Xishan produced tin during the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, and the tin was exhausted in the Han Dynasty, so it was named "Wuxi". Another theory is that "Wuxi" is one of the ancient Yue place names, and "Wu" has no real meaning. The original meaning of "Wuxi" has been lost for a long time due to the ancient Vietnamese language and cannot be verified. Some people believe that "Wuxi", like many other place names in Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, such as Fujiao, Yuhang, Jurong, Gusu, etc., are all homogeneous place names. , although the first word is written in different ways, the ancient pronunciation is consistent or similar, and they are all words produced in the ancient Yue language, and have no real meaning. With the migration, dispersion and integration of the clans in the ancient Wuyue area, the original meanings were gradually lost. , but some of them were preserved because they used Chinese characters to record the same sounds. Later generations did not know the origin, and often misinterpreted the meaning of the word. Some scholars believe that "Wuxi" was because an ancient Yue tribe living in Wuxi used a kind of name. "Zhi Niao" is named after the totem, and its original meaning should be "god".
Gansu: named after Ganzhou and Suzhou respectively in the Tang Dynasty and Longyou Road. At that time, the eastern part belonged to Qinfeng Road of the Song Dynasty, and the western part belonged to Xixia; The province of Ningxia was the province of Gansu; in the Ming Dynasty, it was the capital of Shaanxi; the province was restored to Gansu Province, and its name has not changed to this day.
Shanxi: It is named after it is located in the west of the Taihang Mountains. Hedong Road; Hedong Road was established in the Song Dynasty; northeast and south roads were divided into the Jin Dynasty; Hedong Road in Shanxi was established in the Yuan Dynasty, which was the beginning of Shanxi's name; Shanxi Province was established in the Ming Dynasty, and later changed to Shanxi Chief Envoy; Shanxi Province was changed to Shanxi Province in the Qing Dynasty, and the name of the province has not yet been changed. Change.
Hunan: named after being located in the south of Dongting Lake.
In the Tang Dynasty, it belonged to Jiangnan West Road and Middle Guizhou Road, and later the Hunan Observatory was established, which was the beginning of Hunan's name; in the Song Dynasty, it was called Hunan Road; in the Yuan Dynasty, it was established as Lingbei Hunan Road; in the Ming Dynasty, it belonged to Huguang Province, and later the province was changed to the Huguang Chief Envoy Department; Huguang Province was reorganized into Hunan Province, and the name of the province has not changed to this day.
9. Merged or changed place names.
Mainly refers to the new place name formed by the merger of two place names during the organizational change. For example:
Shanxi Linyi (County): Linyi (County) was named after the merger of the original Linjin and Yishi counties in 1954.
Liquan (County) in Shaanxi: It is named after the sweet spring water of Liquan, indicating that the county is rich in high-quality mineral water resources. In 1964, in order to simplify the word "鴴", it was changed to "Liquan".
Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia: Wuda City and Haibowan City merged.
Zibo City, Shandong Province: Zichuan County and Boshan County are collectively known as Zichuan County and Boshan County. Later, a special zone was established with two counties under its jurisdiction. Later, the organizational name changed many times, and finally it was the prefecture-level Zibo City.
Panjin City, Liaoning Province: Panshan County of Jinzhou City was upgraded, taking the names of Panshan and Jinzhou.
By studying the origin of place names, we can understand the history, culture, folk customs, characteristics, etc. of this place. There is a "Reclining Buddha Valley" in Anle County, Sichuan. Following this intriguing place name, people discovered a huge stone Buddha and a rock-carving image of Sakyamuni's Nirvana during the Tang Dynasty. They also discovered more than 400,000 Chinese characters buried by the ancients. The Buddhist scriptures provide new information for the study of Buddhism and the exploration of Tang Dynasty culture. Xia, Shang and Zhou were three consecutive dynasties in ancient my country. However, no physical evidence of the Xia Dynasty has been found for a long time. In 1977, archaeologists used an ancient place called "Wangchenggang" in Dengfeng County, Henan as a clue, and excavated the city wall foundation trench there, which was determined to be a Xia Dynasty site by C-14.
Abbreviation of place names
With the increasing enrichment of Chinese vocabulary, a large number of phrases that combine several words to express complex meanings have emerged, which has affected the convenience of people's writing and speaking, so many The "abbreviations" of place names emerged spontaneously...
Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liao, Ji, Heilongjiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Gan, Shandong, Henan, and Hubei , Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Qiong, Chongqing, Sichuan or Shu, Guizhou or Guizhou, Yunnan or Dian, Tibet, Shaanxi or Qin, Gansu or Long, Qinghai, Ning, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan - this has been followed for many years It is the "abbreviation" for the current 34 provincial-level administrative regions in the country, but there are also things that can be discussed and discussed. Among them, 14 such as Hebei, Shanxi, Shanghai, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Qiong, and Chongqing can only be regarded as "aliases" because they are not used in the full names of their administrative regions. within the character range. Some large and medium-sized cities also have their own abbreviations or nicknames. Nanjing City ~ Ning, Guangzhou City ~ Sui, Ningbo City ~ Yong, Fuzhou City ~ Rong, Chengdu City ~ Rong, Taiyuan City ~ Bing, Kaifeng City ~ Bian, Jiujiang City ~ Xun.
Difficult to pronounce and easily mispronounced place names
It is said that 80 years ago, when a staff officer under Feng Yuxiang was writing a combat order, he casually wrote Qinyang, the place where the troops were gathering, as Bi Positive. Qinyang is in the Jiaozuo area in northern Henan, while Biyang is in the Zhumadian area in southern Henan. With only one extra step, the troops ran hundreds of kilometers in vain, and the entire campaign was a complete failure.
There are many place names in my country that are easily mispronounced and difficult to pronounce. For example, Xiamen in Fujian, Panyu in Guangdong, and Bengbu in Anhui also contain different pronunciations, but because of their high popularity, the chance of being misunderstood is relatively low.
There are relatively few people who mispronounce Shandong Dong'e, thanks to the advertisement about donkey-hide gelatin; there are relatively few people who mispronounce Fuling, thanks to the mustard from Fuling; there are also relatively few people who mispronounce Shanxi Hongdong, mainly because of the sentence " "Su Sanli Hongdong County" has made indelible contributions.
Lishui (Líli) in Zhejiang is misunderstood as Li (Lì) water, and Taizhou (Tāi) is misunderstood as Tai (Tái Ti) state;
Bo in Anhui (Bópu) state is almost always read as Hao (Háo) state with an extra horizontal stroke;
Jianli (Jiànjian) in Hubei is misread as Jianli (Jiānjian);
Jun County (Xùn Xun) in Henan is misread as Jùn Jun County;
Leiyang (Lěi Lei) in Hunan is mispronounced as Laiyang, but the real Laiyang is in Shandong;
Chenzhou (Chēnstretch) is mispronounced as Bin (Bīnbin) state;
Bayinguoleng (Léng) in Xinjiang is mispronounced as Leng (Lèng);< /p>
Bayannur (Nào Nao) in Inner Mongolia is mispronounced as Zhuó;
Yuxian County in Hebei Province is correctly pronounced as Yù (Jade);
The correct pronunciation of She County in Anhui is Shè (社); the correct pronunciation of Lu'an is Lù (路);
The correct pronunciation of Fanzhi County in Shanxi is Shì (是); the correct pronunciation of Changzi County is The pronunciation is Zhǎng (palm);
In Xin (Shēn Shen) County, Shandong, students generally read well because there is a saying that Xinxin students are students; but there is Xinzhuang (Xīnxin) in Shanghai.
Jiangxi Qianshan (Yán Salt) has a high rate of mispronunciation. "PB" is a polyphonic character and is a special pronunciation for place names.
There are also many place names that are difficult to pronounce:
Xixian (Xí) in Shanxi, Juxian (Jǔ) in Shandong, Chíping, Jingxing (Xíng) in Hebei , Li County (Lǐ), Pí County (Pí) in Sichuan, Gong County (Gǒng), Qianwei (Qián Qian), Yixian (Yī) in Anhui, Zōng (Zōng), Yun County (Yún) in Hubei, Jiangxi Wuyuan (Wù); Yin County (Yín) in Zhejiang Province, Xuyi (XūYí), Hanjiang (Hán), Pizhou (Pī) in Jiangsu Province, Zhecheng (Zhè) in Henan Province, Wuzhi (Zhì);
湴bàn, the dialect means "mud", Yuancuo Township in Pingxiang City, Jiangxi Province is named after its location in the mountains with many mud fields;
luó, the Yao language means "thatch", Xi Yao Township, Dongkou County, Hunan Province The origin of the name is said to be that the Yao people built thatched houses by the stream and settled in the Ming Dynasty.
There are also self-made words with specific meanings. For example: 氵鵣chí, used in Wu浵鵣 Township, Yongjia County, Zhejiang Province. According to legend, a hunter found five beautiful waterbirds (xī chì) by the water here. Later generations named this place "五鵵鵣" - because The word "鸂钒" is complicated to write, and is formed by combining parts of each character; Shitai tài is a folk name used by the people of Yingde, Guangdong to refer to a stone mountain with one side high and one low. The high place is called Shang Shi Tai, and the lower Shi Tai town is located low. side, hence the name. Mr. Jin Zumeng, who has made great achievements in exploring the theory of ancient toponymy in my country, said: "The oldest place names in China often include the proper name and the general name in the same character. For example, the character 'Song' has the character 'shan' in the upper half." A common name, the character 'Gao' in the lower half is a proper name; the character 'fen', the character '水' on the left is a common name, and the character 'fen' on the right is a proper name; the character '?', the character 'mei' on the left is a proper name The word "邑" on the right side of the name is a common name. In addition, the names of mountains such as Qi, Ke, Dai, Wei, Min, Gu, and Yi, Ru, Jiang, Wen, Qin, Yi, Yuan, He, Bi, Shu, and Si. , Luo, Zhu, Wei, Zhejiang, Huai, Fei, Ji, Zi, Wei, Hunan, and Han water names, and the place names of Pi, Xing, Bi, Pi, Tai, Yi, Pi, Ying, Yun, and Zheng, all It is an ancient place name. The origin of this ancient place name is not only "naming with words", but also "naming with words". "Miao miǎo" refers to the large water, Miaoquan Town, Changshu City, Jiangsu Province. The name is derived from the criss-crossing rivers and dense water networks, but the Chinese character "Miao" has a small meaning; 甽zhèn, "the place where the roots at the foot of the mountain receive water flowing up the mountain is called 罽" ("Shiming, Shishan"), Shenzhou, Ninghai County, Zhejiang The town was named in the Song Dynasty a thousand years ago, and "罽" was originally the original character, but the current traditional Chinese character "Zhen" is written in Lingnan folklore; tún, the same as "剉,tun", means village, located at the foot of Xingren County, Guizhou Province The town vividly expresses its geographical characteristics of "building a village on an earth platform".
Of course, language is fluid and liquid, and some of today's mistakes may become tomorrow's correct pronunciation. All of this is gradually created by people, and the dictionary is only the pronunciation standard of a specific era. However, reading the place name of a place is the minimum respect for others.
A wonder in place name culture: Beijing Hutong culture
Among the Chinese place names, the most distinctive ones are Beijing Hutong. Most of the place names in Beijing are commensurate with hutong, and most of them are concentrated in urban areas, with a smaller number in the suburbs. It can be said that Hutong is the most distinctive place name in Beijing, and it is also the most representative regional landscape and cultural landscape. Old Beijing is composed of Hutongs, and Hutongs are the essence of Beijing. Therefore, the study of Hutongs has become one of the main contents of the study of place names in Beijing. Over the past hundreds of years, countless writings have been written about hutongs. In-depth research and research have been conducted on the origin, formation, naming, changes and cultural connotation of hutongs from different angles, gradually forming a "hutong culture" unique to Beijing.
There are six main theories about the origin of the place name "Hutong".
The first theory, and the most common one, is that the original meaning of the word "Hutong" is the Mongolian word "well", and its original pronunciation is "Hudong". Nowadays, there are many place names using "well" in Inner Mongolia, such as "Sainhudong" (good well) and "Hayehudong" (double well). Because urban residents cannot survive without wells, there must be wells wherever people live, so "well" has become a synonym for where people live. After the Mongols established the Yuan Dynasty, they also brought this language to the Central Plains, so people gradually homophoned "Hutong" as "Hutong".
The second theory is that the original meaning of "Hutong" is "hot". Towns are called "hot" in Mongolian. After the Mongols entered the Central Plains, they made Beijing their capital, so according to their custom, they also called the streets and alleys of the towns in the Central Plains "hot". This was later mistakenly called "hot" by the Han people in the capital. "alley".
The third theory is that during the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, the Han people in the Central Plains called the northern ethnic minorities "Hu people". After the Mongols established the Yuan Dynasty, the Han people in the capital still privately called them "Hu people" and called the place where they lived "Hutong", which means "Hu people in Datong".
The fourth theory is completely different from the first one. It is believed that the origin of the word "Hutong" has nothing to do with water wells, but is closely related to fire, that is, it is related to "Fire Alley" in Chinese. direct relationship. This kind of "fire alley" is a fire prevention isolation zone set up in the city during the Southern Song Dynasty. Because the city is densely populated, with row upon row of houses and lack of water, once a fire breaks out it will spread to hundreds of homes. In order to prevent the spread of fire, fire isolation zones - "fire alleys" - are set up. The word "Fire Alley" is originally Chinese, but when it was read from the Mongolian people and then translated into Chinese from its pronunciation, it became "Hutong".
The fifth theory is that the orthography of the word "Hutong" is "Hutong", which comes from Mongolian. In the areas where the Mongols live, tribes that are slightly larger than villages are called "hutong". When the Yuan Dynasty built the capital, residential areas were initially built according to plots. Each plot was a residential settlement smaller than a village, so they were called "alleys" according to Mongolian custom. Because "Hutong" is cumbersome to write, it was abbreviated to "Hutong".
The sixth theory is that in the early Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols began to build the capital of the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the houses of residents in the city were built according to plots, with passages in the middle. This passage is pronounced in Mongolian as "Huotuan", later Beijingers collectively referred to the small passages, small passages, side streets, alleys, etc. that connected the residential areas as "Huotong", which was later homophoned as "Hutong".
Beijing is dotted with more than 7,000 alleys, each with its own story. Hutongs have various names, some are named after people, such as Prime Minister Wen Hutong; some are named after markets and commodities, such as Goldfish Hutong; some are named after Beijing dialects, such as Menghulu Guan Hutong. Such as Si Lijian Hutong, Gongjian Hutong (the changed pronunciation of Neigongjian), Weaving and Dyeing Bureau Hutong, Wine and Vinegar Bureau Hutong, Zhonggusi Hutong, Xixinsi Hutong, Wax Library Hutong, Porcelain Library Hutong, etc. It was the supervisor, bureau, department, and treasury of the eunuchs of the past dynasties, and the location of each government office, showing the scope of the imperial city at that time. There were many Hutong place names left over from the numerous government offices in the past. For example, Dongchang Hutong was the location of the famous Jinyiwei in the Ming Dynasty and the place where eunuchs murdered Zhongliang. The South and North Taichang Alleys are named after Taichang Temple. Gongyuan Hutong was the examination room of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The locations of many dignitaries' mansions have also become the names of hutongs, such as Lige Old Hutong. "Chang'an Hakka" says that Li Dongyang's residence was in Wudinghou Hutong, which was the residence of Guo Ying, a hero of the Yongle period. Wangjia Hutong was originally the residence of Wang Youguo, a favored minister during the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns of the Qing Dynasty. At the same time, craftsmen with good skills and traders with fair dealings were also known by people because of their residence, and hutongs were gradually formed.
Such as Liu Lansu Hutong, Modaoer Hutong, Fenfang Liu Hutong, Tofu Chen Hutong, Claypot Liu Hutong, etc. Even the names of common people have become the names of hutongs, such as Wanglao Hutong, Shi Lao Niang Hutong, Song Maiden Hutong, etc. It is said that these types of hutongs named after the poor and humble far outnumber those named by the rich and powerful. This is why the names of Beijing hutongs are worth mentioning. A place of praise.
The culture of place names has a long history
The extensive and profound Chinese culture embodies the spirit and emotions, thoughts and morals, wisdom and values ??of the Chinese nation, and penetrates into every aspect of social life. Place names are a unique aspect. Place names are the product of human activities in various historical eras. It records the glory of human beings exploring the world and themselves, records wars, diseases, catastrophes and sufferings, records the changes and integration of nations, records changes in the natural environment, and is rich in history, geography, language, economy, ethnicity, and society. It has scientific connotation, is a special cultural phenomenon, and is a living fossil of human history. As a member of the Chinese nation, we not only need to understand the profound historical and cultural heritage of our motherland, but also protect some of the gradually disappearing place names, so that we can better inherit and carry forward our traditional culture. In order to make ancient place names better serve today and future generations, we must enhance our awareness of the protection of place name cultural resources, starting from our side...
Reference: internet