Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-31
A CHIMES PUZZLE
The Difficulty in Locating the Places Men
toned in War Dispatches
Significance of Chinese Geographic
Names as Explained by "a Naval
Officer - Outcome of the War.

of many of the places mentioned in dis
patches. 1t is no wonder, for the spelling of
those names has been carried out under two
distinct systems, the continental European)
and the English and few have been fur
Their mangled by the telegraph after the cor
respondents have transmitted them. For
example, the old-fashioned geographical
word spelt chow by the English, may be
written tchiau by the French, or chu by
Others and it was reduced to ju by the ca
BILE the other day in at least enc case-Wei-
ju, which may be found in some aliases as
Y-tcheou. Reference has also been made to
the imperial palace at Jc-hol, which has
been marked on maps, Zhehol and even She
hol, which last unpleasantly suggestive
spelling is a misnomer fer the Hunting
Park, though the name does mean Hot
river. When in doubt it may be well to try
all names by both the continental and
English systems of pronunciation, and to
search the maps for either spelling.
"a few random notes may add interest to
our inspection of the rather indifferent
maps we possess, and may show that in
China, as elsewhere, names have meanings,
and in some cases entertaining ones. To
begin with the cardinal points: North, south,
east and west are. respectively, Peh, Nan,
Tung and 81; that the important city
which we generally call Pekin is. in fact.
Peh-King, and means northern capital; or
In another way lofty-ten-mllions, which
exceeds our expression upper-ten-t thousand;
it also bears, to the confusion of outside
barbariahs, the title Shun-Tien Foo, allud-
ing to the experimenting hand which d.
reefs streams of all things. Marking used
to be the southern capital before the pres
ent Ta-Tsing or sublimely pure dynasty re-
moved to its existing quarters. The two
provinces. Shan-Tung and Shan-Si, are.
respectively, east of the hills and west -
the hills, the character Shan being a corrupt
form of the original pictorial representation
of three mountain peaks. The province
which contains the capital is Chih-li, mean
ing direct rule, because Peh-King, the
source OF supreme power. is in 1t. The
province of Liau-Tung, also called Shng-
King, between the Ya-lu river and the
great wall. has the appropriate meaning
remote distance.
China's SORROW.
1.-THE northern dialect is so different from
that of the south that the natives them
selves are often compelled to communicate
with each other through. the written char
acters, or still more strangely. through
pidgin English. In (the north the word no
means river, and hoarg, sometimes incor-
rectly spelt wang), being yellow, we have
the title Yellow Unexpectedly 'China's
Sorrow. from its devastating foods and be-
cause 1t 'foweth where!it listeth,' its pres
ent mouth being some three hundred miles
from one of its former points Of discharge.
The name Yellow is derived from the mud
dy color of its waters, which In turn dis
color the Gulf of Pe-Chf-Li and the Yellow
sea. The mud has also made the gulf shall
low, and, with that from the Pei-Ho, has
caused the mud fats near Ta-Ku. which
brought disaster to- the English in their
first attack upon the forts there, when our
IA Hafn in
tional point and SAM that Blood Is thicker
than water. In the SOUTH kiang Is the
word for river, and YangTze is, translated.
Son of the Ocean. DfS course Yang-Tze-Ki-
anG river Is tautologUus though IL has been
written. Picking being very sacred cap
ital, Tien Tsin, on the way to ii along the
Pel-Ho. is Heavens Gate, according to enc
reading.
Among the words most commonly used
with the names of towns are-three descrip
tive terms: Foo, in old times, meant city
or district of the first class; Chow, one of
the second order. and Tsien, Of the third;
and formerly chow contained about 800
families; but as towns and cites grow in
the process of time. even In China. while
the language is said to be inl.nutable, these
titles do not now express a very exact
meaning as to the size of the places 1t
may assist also to note that keou or kow Is
mouth or gate; geographically, chan Is is
land and hou or hu. lake. In the title
Ta-Lien-Wan. where the papers tell us the
Japanese have just landed force in the
rear OF Port Arthur, wan means haTbOr,
and, Just as our word indicates n place of
shelter. 50 this character wan is bull, up OF
symbols for water and to beni,' ienoting
a place where the Shore curves around a
body of water. making a safe anchorage.
"New-Chwang. which appears on some
maps as Nieou-Tchulng, reported to be cap
turej. means Cowtown; Shanghaikwan must
be intended for Shan -Hai-Kwan, the rlace
where the great wall enls at the shore.
If 1t be true that i0.tO japanese have land
ed near IL, they will be less than 2uO niles
from Picking. Takuar where several Jap
anese warships were reported TO have been
sighted on the 10th instant. must be a mis-
print for Ta-ku bar. of the moutE of The
Pei-Ho. IL that tie true, there Is little
wonder at the reported CONSERVATION in
Picking, for 1t means that the Chinese fleet
is powerless at present. If japanese
squadron has also ID en scen OFF Ning-Po
Tranquil Waves. about 100 miles south of
Shanghai. the vessels are no doubt ready TO
intercept the southern chinese men of-war
and coal likely to be biought from l. oirlosa.
Talk or ACKNOWLEDGMENT
emma Itself pears seNerdi naive uues
which nave oeeh 'tansia'eu INC
E"pi'e anu -, 80, -,
'"eeh-'he-ioui seas anu Inc ~ s
uon, pu. peInaps anhpns LIS t. Wv" as Tha
svn.uS p'.,. -, ,as, 49, 80
Emronean ieaIousv will keep its hands off