Koneko Posted December 14, 2006 at 10:35 AM Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 at 10:35 AM It's quite interesting to know that London is also known as "City of Fog" in Chinese. I also know the followings:- Paris = City of Flowers Taiwan = Treasure Island Hong Kong = Pearl of the Orient Macao = Las Vegas of the Orient Singapore = Lion City Malaysia = Giant Horse? I am hoping to compile a list of alternative Country/ City names in Chinese. Please help me to expand this list if you know your country's / city's nicknames in Chinese. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doumeizhen Posted December 14, 2006 at 11:46 AM Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 at 11:46 AM 周庄 （Zhouzhuang, outside of Shanghai) - The Venice of the East According to their tourism board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michfr Posted December 14, 2006 at 09:59 PM Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 at 09:59 PM Old Gold Hill: San Francisco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jizzosh Posted December 15, 2006 at 01:42 AM Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 at 01:42 AM Las Vegas, is most commonly referred to as (I can't write the characters on my work PC): Du3cheng2, or Gambling city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ardison Posted December 15, 2006 at 08:34 AM Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 at 08:34 AM chénɡ du = xiū xián zhī dōu = City of Pleasure 成 都 = 休 闲 之 都 chónɡ qìnɡ = shān chénɡ = City of Mountains 重 庆 = 山 城 lú zhōu = zhōnɡ ɡuó jiǔ chénɡ = China Wine City 泸 州 = 中 国 酒 城 yí bīn = wàn lǐ chánɡ jiānɡ dì yì chénɡ = First City of Yangzi River 宜 宾 = 万 里 长 江 第 一 城 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koneko Posted December 15, 2006 at 09:50 AM Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 at 09:50 AM I think, Sydney is known as "Snowy Pear" in Taiwanese Chinese!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prodigal Son Posted December 15, 2006 at 10:58 AM Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 at 10:58 AM It's quite interesting to know that London is also known as "City of Fog" in Chinese. how do you say this in Chinese? the only way I know how to say London is 伦敦 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted December 15, 2006 at 01:30 PM Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 at 01:30 PM how do you say this in Chinese? the only way I know how to say London is 伦敦 霧都 (wu4 du1) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paolo Posted December 15, 2006 at 01:35 PM Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 at 01:35 PM I am from Treviso, a town near Venice (the real Italian one of course)... so, when in China, I always get sick at people telling me that I am from 水城 or "The City of Water" and asking if I had a boat instead of a car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrianlondon Posted December 15, 2006 at 05:29 PM Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 at 05:29 PM Nearly every chinese guy I've met who hasn't been abroad (that's most of 'em) ask "oh, London has lots of fog! Worse than Beijing, right?". I point out that London's fog problem was sorted out in the 60's and was due only to coal heating, so didn't really have the nasty pollutants that Beijing's smog has. I can only assume that their national curriculum (should such a thing exist) has "Oh my golly gosh, London is awfully foggy again, what ho!" in their English Language book somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted December 15, 2006 at 11:57 PM Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 at 11:57 PM Or maybe they are taught at school to appreciate Monet's paintings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koneko Posted December 18, 2006 at 10:11 PM Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 at 10:11 PM Ardison chénɡ du = xiū xián zhī dōu = City of Pleasure 成 都 = 休 闲 之 都 Just curious here. What do they actually do in Chengdu to entertain themselves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted December 18, 2006 at 10:16 PM Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 at 10:16 PM Ardison chénɡ du = xiū xián zhī dōu = City of Pleasure成 都 = 休 闲 之 都 I think maybe they mean city of leisure. 休闲 != pleasure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted December 18, 2006 at 11:15 PM Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 at 11:15 PM What do they actually do in Chengdu to entertain themselves? They play mahjong. And they spend time on good food and good tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koneko Posted December 19, 2006 at 10:41 AM Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 at 10:41 AM Ha ha.. Thanks Skylee. They must be really good at mahjong then! Hey, I found another rather peculiar name for Japan! It's 东赢. Literally, the winning East? I don't quite understand this though. Didn't they lose in WWII? Does it have anything to do with the war? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted December 19, 2006 at 12:33 PM Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 at 12:33 PM No, it is 東瀛 (note the water radical). It is also called 扶桑. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koneko Posted December 19, 2006 at 02:36 PM Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 at 02:36 PM Ha ha... Apologies for my mistake! Now I can see why it's called 东瀛. It can be broadly interpretated as "Ocean across the East"?! Pretty much like 东洋!! See link for the original meaning of 瀛http://www.iciba.com/search?s=%E7%80%9B&x=29&y=9 I am curious about 扶桑 now!! And I have come up with a rather interesting discovery... You might need an atlas to visualise this:- map of Japan looks like a silkworm. And if you include Mongolia into China, they look like a giant mulberry leave!! Maybe in the ancient times, there were a lot of Japanese pirates pillaging in China to support Japan. Hence, they were nicknamed as 扶桑 (Supporting the silkworm?!) Does anyone know why Japan is also known as 扶桑 then? I also learnt that ancient China is known as 中原 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted December 19, 2006 at 02:53 PM Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 at 02:53 PM This is copied from the online Xinhua Dictionary -> 扶桑fúsāng (1) [red hibiscus]∶亦名朱槿,锦葵科植物。花冠大型,是著名观赏植物 (2) [a kind of tree] 神话中的树木名 汤谷上有扶桑,十日所浴。――《山海经·海外东经》。郭璞注:“扶桑,木也。”郝懿行笺疏:“扶当为榑。《说文》云:“榑桑,神木,日所出也。” (3) 后用来称东方极远处或太阳出来的地方 扶桑开朝晕,此高台端。――《文选·陆士衡·乐府·日出东南隅行》 行乎东极之外,经扶桑之中林。――左思《吴都赋》 (4) [mystic island,usually indicating Japan]∶传说中的东方海域的古国名,我国相沿以为日本的代称 扶又若荠。――王维《送秘书晁监还日本国·序》 扶桑正是秋光好,枫叶如丹照嫩寒。――鲁迅《送增田君归国》 赤县扶桑一衣带水。――郭沫若《沁园春》 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koneko Posted December 19, 2006 at 04:16 PM Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 at 04:16 PM Thanks again Skylee. Ironically, I came across this from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus The City of Hibiscus is another name for the city of Chengdu in China. It must be like a heaven in Chengdu where you can play mahjong, enjoy good food and watch hibiscuses blooming!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koneko Posted December 20, 2006 at 04:35 PM Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 at 04:35 PM Ancient India = 天兰 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.