Fangyan
/ˈfɑːŋ.jɑːn/noun
A Chinese term for a regional variety or dialect of speech.
Did you know?The term became especially influential through the *Fangyan*, a first-century BCE Chinese work by Yang Xiong that recorded regional vocabulary across China.
Etymological Timeline
Late Zhou–Han period
Old Chinese
方言
“Regional or local speech; 方 meant region or place, while 言 meant speech or words.”
1st Century BCE
Chinese
《輶軒使者絕代語釋別國方言》
“The title of Yang Xiong’s work commonly called the *Fangyan*, a compilation explaining speech from different regions.”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
方言
“A regional speech form or local expression; the pronunciation developed approximately toward fang-yen.”
Modern Mandarin
Mandarin
方言 (fāngyán)
“A dialect or regional variety of Chinese.”
20th Century–present
English
fangyan
“A scholarly English borrowing used in Chinese linguistics for a regional speech variety or dialect.”