The Mystery of Chinese Names.
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 Peking (northern capital) and Nanking (southern capital). Tien means heaven, so Tien-tsin signifies heavenly metropolis. Ho or kiang means river, so Pei-ho is north river; Si-kiang, west river. Che means seven, so Che-kiang is seven rivers. Shan is mountain; Shan-tung, east mountain; and Shan-si, west mountain. Pai is white; and Pai-shan, white mountain. Hai is sea, and kwan stands for gate; so Hai-kwan (the maritime customs) is gate of the sea; and Shan-hai-kwan, mountain and sea gate. Shang is a city; and Shanghai, city by the sea. Hoang is yellow; Hoang-Ho, Yellow River; and Hoang-Hai, Yellow Sea. Yang means ocean; and Tse, son; hence, the Yang-tse River is son of the ocean, and Tien-tse, son of heaven (the emperor). Ku or kow is a mouth or pass, and Ta, big or great; so Ta-ku means big mouth (of Pei-ho), while Nan-kow stands for south pass (from Mongolia). Hu is a lake; ling, a hill; hsiang, 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, and fu-tai is a governor of a prefecture. Chao or kiao 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 Tung-chow, eastern (depot of Peking). Shen is a province, and Shen-si is the western province. Yamen is a police station or official residence, and Hui a secret society or club. Ts’ing means pure or clear, so Ts’ing-kiang is clear river, while Ta-Ts’ing means great pure (name of present dynasty); and Kwo being a kingdom or empire, Ta-Ts’ing Kwo signifies the empire of the great pure (China). Ta-Mei-Ka is the name applied by the Chinese to the United States, and means great America.