Chinanews client, Beijing, December 18 (Reporter Shangguanyun) How nice are the ancient place names?

Recently, the topic in this popular documentary "China" has been in hot search.

　　Some people lamented that Nanjing was originally called "Jianye" at that time; some netizens proudly mentioned that "Luoyang has always been Luoyang" and "Handan has always been Handan".

　　So, what are the particularities of those ancient place names?

Ancient place names in a documentary

　　In the documentary "China", "Nandu", tells a story about Sima Rui and Wang Dao.

Image source: video screenshot

　　At that time, there was the "Eight Kings Rebellion" inside and outside the Jin Dynasty, which was invaded by foreign races. The Jin Dynasty had been swaying in the wind and rain, and the long-term melee brought irreparable damage to the Jin Dynasty.

　　The content of the documentary currently exposed mentioned that Director Wang, who was disappointed with the situation, thought Jiangnan was a place that could bring him and Sima Rui, a descendant of the Jin Dynasty royal family, a place where he could bring him and Sima Rui, a descendant of the Jin Dynasty royal family, to persuade him to go south.

Jianye, which is today's Nanjing, was the end of their southern crossing.

　　The name "Jianye" has also attracted the attention of netizens. Some people said that Nanjing's ancient names include Jiangning, Jinling and so on.

Many people even listed the ancient titles of their hometown names, lamenting that "the ancient place names are really nice."

What are the meanings of ancient place names?

　　So, what are the ancient place names?

　　After sorting out, it is found that many places in ancient China were named because of the suitable mountains and rivers, supplemented by the location, so there are places such as Runan, Jiyin, Luoyang and so on.

Or it is named after the local features of mountains and rivers.

Image source: Weibo screenshot

　　There is also a saying that in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Zhou dynasty used Shaanyuan (now in Shanxian County, Henan Province) as the boundary, dividing Shao Gong and Zhou Gong’s feudal towns, and the east of Shaan Yuan was called "East Shaan" and was under the jurisdiction of Shao Gong; The west of Shaanxi was called "Shaanxi" and was under the jurisdiction of Zhou Gong.

　　"For some very ancient place names, it may be difficult for us to figure out what their etymology is, such as the ancient 豳,盩厔, etc., and some place names may even be handed down in ancient times." The author Zheng Zining said.

　　In addition to naming according to geomorphological features, some place names also record the specialties of a place, such as Yumenguan and Yuncheng; they can also reflect people's good wishes, such as Tai'an, which means "Mountain Tai is safe and the world is safe".

　　In addition, some place names have specific meanings.

According to legend, "Zhang State Arms Tie, so it is called Zhangye", "Dun, Da Ye; Huang, Sheng Ye. With its wide open the Western Regions. So it is famous."

From this point of view, there is sometimes a story behind a place name.

　　"'Jiahe' literally explained that it originally meant strange seedlings, such as a seedling with two ears. Later, it was generally referred to in ancient times, and it was considered auspicious, so some places were named after it." Zheng Zining said.

Why do we think ancient place names are so nice?

　　In fact, this is not the first time that ancient place names have become the focus.

Earlier, there was a hot list of ancient and modern place names on the Internet, which showed that Zaozhuang was called "Lanling" before; Linyi was called Langya before...

Image source: video screenshot

　　Comparing this list, some netizens once expressed their fascination with the name "Lanling", and always felt that it had a hazy beauty. However, in ancient place names, the names of "Ling" are not rare, and they are relatively common.

　　For another example, there was a hit drama "Qingpingle" before, and many of the place names mentioned in it will make people feel very nice.

But in Zheng Zining's view, this may just be "distance produces beauty."

　　"In the comparison of ancient and modern place names transmitted on the Internet, people now think that the word'Zhuang' is relatively rustic, but it is likely that after a long time, this name may become very rare, and later people will think that it has the word'Zhuang'. The place names are nice.” He explained.

　　Historically, changes in place names are not uncommon.

Zheng Zining said that the ancients would also change the name of a place.

Sometimes it's because people don't understand the old place names left before, and then rename them.

　　All in all, an ancient place name is like a cultural handbook, from which people can interpret the local history, culture, customs, and folklore, and behind this, it reflects the expectations of the ancestors for a better life.

(Finish)