The knowledge of place names
Among Chinese place names, many are named after the two characters "Yin and Yang".
For example, those named with the character "Yang" include: Luoyang, Anyang, Xinyang, Nanyang, Shenyang, Shaoyang, Puyang, etc.; those named with the character "Yin" include: Huaiyin, Jiangyin, Tangyin, etc. . The naming of these place names reflects the Yin Yang and Five Elements theory of Chinese Taoism, which can be said to be the widespread application of Chinese traditional culture in place names.
We know that both in Taoism and philosophy, Yin and Yang are regarded as a pair of contradictory entities, which are relative.
In the Book of Changes, the sun is called the sun and the moon is called the lunar moon. When commenting on their laws, he once summarized them like this: the sun dominates the day, and the lunar moon dominates the night; the sun is born in the east and the moon is born in the west. They are the "lords of all things" that alternate with each other. Through the reincarnation of the sun and the moon, all things in the world can continue to prosper.
It is based on this reason that our ancestors called the place facing the sun the yang side, and the place facing away from the sun was called the yin side. Therefore, when naming places, the place with the yang side is often called yang, and the place with the yin side is naturally called yin.
Luoyang is named after the Luo River, which originates from Luonan County, Shaanxi Province, flows through this place. It is derived from the word "nan", so it is called Yang; Jiangyin is the son of Taibo and Zhongyongnan, the sons of Zhou Taiwang in the late Shang Dynasty. Come to establish Gou Wu. Because this place was the northern border of ancient Wu, it got the word "North" and was called Yin. Of course, some place names are determined by the political consciousness of the rulers. For auspiciousness or other purposes, they deliberately call yin places yang, in order to go against Feng Shui and seek smoothness.
In addition, generally speaking, the names of Yin and Yang have a certain relationship with water. Shenyang is named after Shenshui (a tributary of the Hun River), Huaiyin is named after the ancient Huaihe River, and Puyang was the city site during the Warring States Period located on the Yangtze River, and was originally called Puyang. Most of the rivers in our country flow from east to west, and people can only live in the north and south of the rivers. Those to the south of a river or river are called Yang, and those on the opposite side are called Yin.
The origin of some city and county place names
Place names were formed in different historical periods and are "living fossils" of the social activities and economic development of various ethnic groups. The names of some cities and counties in my country come from various factors. Some place names come from social and economic development, some are related to history and geography, and some are related to myths and legends. Understand
understanding the historical formation process of place names, which can help you become familiar with and remember place names. The origin of some city and county place names is briefly described as follows:
Jiangxi [Gan]
Ganzhou has Zhangshui in the east and Gongshui in the west. The city is between the two rivers. The name of the water is combined with the character "gan", hence the name.
Jingdezhen was renamed "Jingdezhen" during the Jingde period of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, the imperial porcelain produced in the area had the words "Made in Jingde Year" on it.
Wuyuan is named because it is located at the source of Wu River.
Fenyi is named after Yichun County where it is located.
Hengfeng is named after Hengfeng Mountain in the north of the county.
Zhejiang [Zhejiang]
Hangzhou It is said that Dayu arrived here when he was controlling floods, and he landed in Hangzhou. "Hang" and "Hang" are the same pronunciation, so it is called "Hangzhou".
Ningbo is named after Dinghai County, which means "Hai Ding Ze Bo Ning". Because there is the Yongjiang River in the territory, it is also referred to as "Yong".
Shaoxing In the first year of Shaoxing, Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, Yuezhou was promoted to the capital, and it was named "Shaoxing" after the reign name.
Jiangsu [苏]
Nanjing was named Jinling because the Chu State built a city here during the Warring States Period and established Jinling City. During the Wu Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms, it was called Jianye and also called Stone City. In the Jin Dynasty, it was called health. Ming An is called Nanjing.
In the Qing Dynasty, it was governed by Jiangning Prefecture, so it was referred to as "Ning".
Suzhou is named after Gusu Mountain.
Wuxi was rich in copper and tin during the Zhou and Qin Dynasties. By the Han Dynasty, tin mining had been completed, hence the name "Wuxi".
Yangzhong is named because it is located in the middle of the Yangtze River.
Lianyungang is named after one of the two characters because it is located between Yuntai Mountain and the East and West Islands.
Huaiyin was named because the place was south of the ancient Huaihe River.
Jiangyin is named because it is located in the south of the Yangtze River.
Siyang is located in the north of the ancient Si River, hence its name.
Liyang got its name from the north of the ancient Lishui River.
Haimen is named because it is located near the estuary on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
Henan [Henan]
Kaifeng It is said that in the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Zheng Zhuang ordered Kaifeng City to be built as a place to store grain and millet, so it was named after the intention of opening up the frontier.
Xiuwu was named Ningyi in the Shang Dynasty. King Wu of Zhou conquered Zhou and crossed the river from Mengjin to the east. When he got there, he encountered rain and rested for three days, so Ningyi was renamed Xiuwu.
Yanshi According to legend, King Wu of Zhou conquered Zhou and succeeded in turning the army. He built a city here and stopped the Yanrong army, so it was named Yanshi.
Yanling is named after the ancient Yanling Pagoda.
Shanxi [Jin]
Hebend is located at the bend of the Yellow River, so it is named after the meaning of "the Yellow River meanders for thousands of miles".
Jiexiu It is said that during the Spring and Autumn Period, Jiexiu, a Marquis of Jin Dynasty, hid in Jieshan Mountain with his mother until they died. Hence the name "Jiexiu".
The Divine Pond is named after the Divine Pond.
Wenxi It is said that when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty came here, he heard that Nanyue was defeated, so he established Wenxi County.
Shandong [Lu]
Jinan is named Jinan because the city is located south of the ancient Jishui River. Jinan has seventy-two springs since ancient times, so it is known as the "Spring City".
Yantai was an important coastal defense area in the Ming Dynasty, with beacon towers set up to guard against Japanese pirates, hence the name Yantai.
Hebei [Hebei]
Hejian is named because it is located on the Hutuo River that has dried up and the Ziya River flows through the territory. The county seat is located between the two rivers.
The former name of the Weichang is Mulan Weichang ("Mulan" means sentry deer). It was a hunting place for the rulers of the Qing Dynasty. It was named "Weichang" in the early years of Guangxu.
Fujian [闽]
Fuzhou The name of Fuzhou began in the eighth century during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty. It was named after Mount Fu in the northwest of the state. It is also called "Rong City" because there are many banyan trees planted in the city.
Others
Hefei [Wan] The fertilizer water comes out of Zipeng Mountain and is divided into two branches. After flowing here, they merge into one, hence the name "Hefei".
Eryuan [Dian] is named because it is located at the source of Erhai Lake.
Wuhan [E] Wuhan includes three parts: Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang. Wuchang was named after Sun Quan, who meant "prosperity due to martial arts" during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Hankou,
is named after it is located at the mouth of the Han River. After liberation, Wuhan City was established in 1949.
Guiyang [Guizhou] was called Guizhusi and Guizhu Township in the Ming Dynasty, and Guizhu County in the Qing Dynasty, so Guiyang was shortened to "Zhu".
Yinchuan [Ning] The place name Yinchuan comes from the description of the beautiful geographical scene of the "Fortress on the South of the Yangtze River" with criss-crossing channels and dense pastoral fields between the Helan Mountains and the Yellow River. Also known as
Ningxia City, referred to as "Yincheng".
Huangyuan [青] is named because it is located at the source of Huangshui.
Chongqing [Sichuan] was named Yuzhou during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, so it was called "Yu" for short. The name Gongzhou in the Song Dynasty was the residence of Song Guangzong Zhao Chun before he ascended the throne. After Zhao Chun ascended the throne, Gongzhou
was renamed "Chongqing".
Kunming [Dian] is named after the Kunming tribe, one of the ancient Dian tribes.
Shennongjia [E] According to legend, Shennong settled here to farm in ancient times, tasted all kinds of herbs, and collected medicines to treat diseases. Due to the high mountains and numerous cliffs, even the powerful Shennong clan could only build a frame to climb up the mountain, hence the name "Shennongjia".
Chifeng [Mongolian] is named after the red solitary peak within its territory.
Xiuyan [Liao] "Xiu" refers to a mountain with caves. Xiuyan County is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea. Many caves were formed by the impact of the ocean tide on the rocks, hence its name.
Wuwei [Anhui] During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao and Sun Wu fought and built a city. After that, because the attack on Wu was ineffective, it was named Wuwei City.
Huangling [Shaanxi] It is said that there is a tomb of the Yellow Emperor on Qiaoshan in the north of the city, so it is named after it.
Liuzhou [Gui] Liu Zongyuan, a writer of the Tang Dynasty, once lived here. In order to commemorate him, it was named after him.
Place names commemorating revolutionary martyrs:
Zhongshan City (Guangdong Province), formerly known as Xiangshan County, was named in 1925 in memory of our country’s great revolutionary pioneer, Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
The original name of Jingyu County (Jilin Province)
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