The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-24
CHINESE GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
Significant to Those Who Understand
the Language.

New York sun.
We are reading just now of many Chinese
districts, towns and rivers. Many of these
geographical names doubtless appear re-
pellant and unpronounceable to all except
a few persons who are familiar with them.
But if we had a better acquaintance with
these names and knew their meaning they
would be found to be full of interest. They
are often condensed descriptions of the
place or feature TO which they are applied.
They are far more instinct with life than
many geographical names in other coun-
tries. Suppose we had never heard of
Shanghai, for example, but knew the mean
ing of the two words composing the name.
We would know at once that the ''city near
the sea" must apply to a seaport. Yum
Ho means 1.-The river of transportation"
and we naturally infer that the waterway
thus designated must be commercially i'm
portant. Yun-Ho, in fact, is the Chinese
name of the Grand canal which plays so
large a part in the freight service of east
China.
However many syllables there may be in
a Chinese place name it is composed of as
many words as there are syllables, for all
Chinese words are monosyllabic. If We
knew the meaning of even one of the words
in a geographical name it helps to convey
a definite idea. The words no and kiang,
for example, both mean river" and when
we see them on a map we know they refer
to a river or stream. Many of the names
of rivers are descriptive of them. Hoang
Ho. for example, means yellow river
Tsin Kiang means Clear river" Observe
how definite is the idea expressed in the
name of each of the three rivers which
converge upon Canton. One of them is the
ST Kiang, or "West river" another the Pc
Kiang, or North river the third is the
Tung Kiang, or East river" The names
of these rivers tells the direction from
which they come. They help to simplify
the study of the geography of that part of
China. When they unite they form the
Chu Kiang. or Pearl river" The Chinese
named their largest river in the north the
Hoang Ho because il cuts its bed through
yellow soil from which it derives its color.
The yellow flood 1t pours into the sea colors
that part of the ocean yellow, and hence
the Chinese call the sea Hoang Hal, or Yel-
low sea.
The Chinese unite the words in a name so
that they form one word just as we write
Newton. Hartford or Deerfield. Sometimes
we unite the words in a Chinese name and
sometimes We separate them, but there is
no reason, for example. why we should
write Tien-TSin when we do not write Pc
King. Each Of these names is composed Of
two words. Pc means north" and King
means 1.-The capital or 'the kings house,
hold" and thus Peking means the northern
capital. Tien means heavenly" and Tsin
means place" and thus the name of the
largest city in northeast China means
heavenly place'-a name it has borne for
many centuries. When Marco Polo visited
the city in the thirteenth century he trans
lated Its name into "Cftta Celeste"
Many Chinese names we see in the news
papers and do not even attempt to pro-
nounce would give us as much information,
If We could translate Them. as a long SEN
tence might do. Han-Kow, for m is
the name OF a very important city on the
Yang-Tse Kiang. There are only six let
tiers in the name. and yet any Chinese boy
would know from the two short words COM
posing IL that it is the name of the town
standing at the "kow'' or mouth of a river
named Han. The Han is the greatest tribu-
tary of the Yang-Tse Kiang and plays a
most important part in the commercial life
of that teeming valley, and the city built
on the spot where the Han mingles its
waters with the Yang-Tse is Han-Kow, i.
e.. the town at the mouth of the Han.
The word Yang mean ocean, tse means
son." and the name Yang-Tse Kiang
which the Chinese applied ages ago to
their greatest river shows that they did
not mean TO depreciate its importance.
Some writers say the early Chinese be-
lieved their largest river contributed more
water TO the making of the ocean than
any other stream In the world, and so in
49, sA( tAttt VI tlAO
idea that the ocean was its SON. The name
is often enormously translated the Blue
| river.
Picking has not always been the capital
of the empire, but Nankin, a city far to
the south. was long the seat of govern
ment; and, as the name Picking means
northern capital so the name sNankin
means southern capital" white River
is the meaning of Pei-Ho. near whose
mouth are the forts just seized by the
powers.
In some books and maps we see the
words flu or "hien'' added 20 the names
of many towns. These words are not a
part OF the names. and some of the best
aliases omit them, for they lengthen the
name and make 1t more formidable TO the
foreigner. Eu means the capital of one
of the departments into which a province Is
divided; in other words 1t is the residence
OF the official at the head of the departs
ment- Hien signifies one of the districts
into which a department is divided, and
when attached to a place name means that
the oneial In charge Of the district re-
sides there: 1t Is better TO omit these mere
ly political designations. When We have
more intimate dealings with China and
better knowledge OF the people and their
! country We <hal N hova uutforn3fv In ~