Hebei
/ˈhɛˌbeɪ/noun
A province of northern China surrounding Beijing and Tianjin.
Did you know?The name refers to lands north of the Yellow River, whose shifting course repeatedly changed the region’s political and geographic boundaries.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Chinese
河 (hé)
“River, especially in historical geographic usage the Yellow River”
Ancient Chinese
Chinese
北 (běi)
“North; originally associated with the direction opposite south”
Han Dynasty
Chinese
河北 (Héběi)
“The region north of the Yellow River, used as a geographic designation”
7th Century
Middle Chinese
河北道 (Héběi Dào)
“Hebei Circuit, an administrative region established under the Tang dynasty”
1928
Modern Chinese
河北省 (Héběi Shěng)
“Hebei Province; the former province of Zhili was renamed Hebei”
Modern English
English
Hebei
“The standard English romanization of the Chinese provincial name 河北”