Chinese Place Names

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Though most place names are transliterations from English or from the native languages of those localities, some are not. An example is the term 'Zhong-guo', which refers to China itself. What does this name literally mean in English translation? Middle country River valley Land of two rivers Western homeland

2. The Chinese name for Tokyo is 'Dong-jing'. If we establish that the Chinese capital 'Bei-jing' is the northern capital and 'Nan-jing' is the southern capital, which capital would you guess 'Dong-jing' to be? Answer: (A direction, surely?)

3. There are two locative terms that are both pronounced 'zhou' (much like the name Joe) in Chinese, both with the first tone. 'Zhou' can mean both 'state' and 'continent'. With that in mind, 'Ou-zhou' (oh Joe) is the Chinese name for which continent? North America Europe Africa Antarctica

4. As I mentioned in the introduction, many Chinese place names are simply transliterations. See if you can't figure out several place names by sounding them out. Which country's Chinese name is 'Ying-guo'? Answer: (Single word - country name)

5. Here is another fun transliteration...take a guess! The Chinese place name 'Jia-na-da' refers to which rather large country? Answer: (Single word - country name)

6. Here's an interesting transliteration, mainly because it is the same for two world cities. See if you can't figure out one of the two world cities that is represented by the Chinese 'Ao-ke-lan'! Answer: (Just pick one city...one in the northern hemisphere, one in the southern)

7. I'm having fun with the transliterations, are you? Here's another one to quench your wild transliteration thirst! Which country is called 'Yi-da-li' ('Yi' is pronounced with the sound of a long 'e' as in 'seek') in the Chinese language? India Eritrea Indonesia Italy

8. Enough with the transliterations for now. Let's get back to some place names with meaning. Which Chinese city has a name that means 'above the water'? Shanghai Xi'an Canton Wuhan

9. During the 19th century, many Chinese, especially from the south, migrated to other lands looking for work and opportunity. They made their way to various cities and countries around the world. One city gained the nickname 'Jiu-jin-shan' during that century, a name that translates as 'Old gold mountain'. Which of these cities became the 'Old gold mountain' of Chinese migrants in the 1800s? Sidney Capetown Singapore San Francisco

10. Another American city has a unique, non-transliterated name. The name of this city is translated directly according to the meaning of each word. Which American city is called 'Yan-hu-cheng' by the Chinese? Answer: (Three word name - a hint: 'hu' = lake)

11. Let's play a fun game here. Which of the following countries is not properly matched up with its Chinese name? Australia : Ao-da-li-ya France: Fa-guo Vietnam : Yue-nan Japan : Nip-pon

12. True or false: The Chinese name for the island/country of Taiwan is 'Taiwan'. True False

13. Traditionally, the Chinese have referred to which country as either 'Chao-xian' or 'Han-guo'? Thailand Burma Philippines Korea

14. Which of these major cities is not properly matched up with its Chinese name? Rome : Luo-ma Washington : Hua-sheng-dun Paris : Ba-li London : Lin-tin

15. True or false: According to the Chinese, the United States is a 'beautiful country'. True False