Jiangbei
/tɕjɑ́ŋ.péɪ/noun
A Chinese geographical name meaning the area north of a river, especially north of the Yangtze.
Did you know?In Chinese geography, Jiangbei often refers specifically to lands north of the Yangtze, while Jiangnan means “south of the river”; the pair became powerful cultural and economic divisions.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
江
“A river; later especially the Yangtze River”
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
北
“North; originally associated with people or things positioned back-to-back”
Middle Chinese, 6th–10th centuries
Middle Chinese
江北
“The region north of the river”
Ming–Qing period, 14th–19th centuries
Late Mandarin
jiāngběi
“The area north of the Yangtze, used as a geographic and cultural designation”
Modern Chinese
Mandarin
江北 (jiāngběi)
“North of the river; also the name of multiple districts and localities in China”
Modern English
English
Jiangbei
“A transliterated Chinese geographical name”