西安
Xī'ān
Xian, the major city in Shaanxi province, is written 西安 (Xī'ān) in Chinese.
西安 is the name of the capital of Shaanxi province in northwest China, famous as an ancient capital and as the home of the Terracotta Army.
What does it mean word for word?
西安 is made of 西 (xī), meaning west and 安 (ān), meaning peace. The name means western peace.
How do you pronounce it?
西安 is pronounced Xī'ān, as two separate syllables. The apostrophe in the romanization shows the syllable break, so it is not read as a single syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English often writes the name as Xian without the apostrophe, but it has two syllables, not one.
Did you know?
- The character 安 (ān) used in 西安 is a pictograph showing a 'roof' over a 'woman', symbolizing the cultural idea that a home is safe and peaceful when a woman is present.
- While 西安 is the current name, the city was known as 长安 (Cháng'ān), meaning 'eternal peace', for most of its history as the capital of several dynasties.
- The name 'Xī'ān' was actually a political declaration of victory, chosen in 1369 to signify that the western region had been successfully 'pacified' during the Ming Dynasty.
Examples in context
- 西安很大。Xī'ān hěn dà.Xi'an is very big.
- 我想去西安旅游。Wǒ xiǎng qù Xī'ān lǚyóu.I want to travel to Xi'an.
- 西安有很多历史古迹。Xī'ān yǒu hěnduō lìshǐ gǔjì.Xi'an has many historical sites.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their travel plans for the holidays.
- 佳怡 Jiayi志强，你想去哪里玩？Zhìqiáng, nǐ xiǎng qù nǎlǐ wán?Zhiqiang, where do you want to go for fun?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我想去西安看看。Wǒ xiǎng qù Xī'ān kànkan.I want to go to Xi'an to take a look.
- 佳怡 Jiayi西安是个好地方。Xī'ān shì gè hǎo dìfāng.Xi'an is a good place.
- 志强 Zhiqiang对，我也很喜欢那里。Duì, wǒ yě hěn xǐhuān nàlǐ.Right, I like it there a lot too.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 西安, CC BY-SA 4.0.
