Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1900 — MYSTERIOUS CHINESE NAMES. [ARTICLE]

MYSTERIOUS CHINESE NAMES.

Their Significance Plain When Once '1 hey Are Understood. The mysterious names appearing in the Chinese dispatches become familiar enough when translated, thus: Tung means east; si, west; nan, south; pei, north; while tsin, kin or king stands for capital or metropolis, as in Pekin (northern capital) and Nankin (southern capital). Tien means heaven, so Tien-tsia signifies heavenly metropolis. Ho or kiang means river, so Pei-Ho is north river; Sikiang, west river. Che means seven, so Che-kiang is seven rivers. Shan is a mountain, and Shan tung, east mountain, nnd Shnn-si, west mountain. Pai is white, and Pai-shan, white mountain. Hai is son, and kwan stands for gate, so Hai-kwan (the maritime customs) is gate of the sea, and Shan-hai-kwan, mountain and sea gate. Sliang is a city, nnd Shanghai, city by the sea. Yang means ocean, and Tse. son; hence, the Ynng-tse river is son of the ocean, and Tien-tse, son of heaven (the Emperor). Ku or kow is a month or pass, and Ta, big or great, so Ta-ku means a big mouth (of Pei-Ho), while Nan-kow stands sot south pass (from Mongolia). Hu is a lake; ling, a hill; hsinng. a village; hsien, a tax district. Fu is a prefecture; tai, a governor; tao, a circuit or group of administrative departments; so tao-tai is a governor of a circuit, aud fo-tai is a governbr of a prefecture. Chao or kino is a bridge; li a Chinese mile: pa, eight; and thus Pa-li kiao is the eight-mile bridge. Cho or chow is a depot or stopping place; hence Tungchow (eastern depot of Pekin). Shen is a province, nnd Shen si is the western province. Ynmcn is a police station or official residence, and Hui, a secret society or club. Ts’ing means pure or clear, so Ts'ingkiang is clear river, while Ta Ts’ing means great pure (name of present dynasty) and kwo being n kingdom or empire, Ta-Ts'ing kow signifies the empire of the great pure (China). Ta Mei-Ka is the name applied by the Chinese to the United States, and means givat America.