Huang He
/ˌhwɑːŋ ˈheɪ/noun
The second-longest river in China, flowing through northern China into the Bohai Sea.
Did you know?The Huang He carries exceptionally heavy sediment loads from the Loess Plateau, historically causing its channel to shift and earn the nickname “China’s Sorrow.”
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
黃河 (*N-qʷˤaŋ gˤaj)
“The yellow river; 黃 meant yellow and 河 meant river.”
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese
黃河
“The Yellow River, a standard historical name for the major northern Chinese river.”
Middle Chinese, 6th–10th centuries
Middle Chinese
黃河 (hwang-ha)
“Yellow River; the characters retained their established meanings while pronunciation changed.”
Mandarin, later development
Mandarin
黄河 (Huáng Hé)
“The Yellow River; Huáng means yellow and Hé means river.”
Modern English
English
Huang He
“The pinyin-based English name for the Yellow River.”