Dezhou
/tə̌ tʂoʊ̯/noun
A city in northwestern Shandong Province, China, and the name of a former Chinese prefecture.
Did you know?The character 德, pronounced dé, is also the Daoist term commonly rendered in English as “virtue” or “ inner power,” especially in the title of the Daodejing.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Old Chinese
德水
“The De River; the waterway associated with the name’s origin.”
6th Century
Middle Chinese
德州
“De Prefecture, an administrative division named after the De River.”
596 CE
Sui Chinese
德州
“A prefecture formally established during the Sui dynasty.”
7th–13th Centuries
Medieval Chinese
德州
“A continuing prefectural and regional name under successive dynasties.”
20th Century
Modern Mandarin
Dèzhōu
“The modern pinyin form of Dezhou, now a prefecture-level city in Shandong.”