Jiaotong University
/ˌdʒaʊˈtʊŋ ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːrsəti/noun
An English name used by several Chinese universities whose traditional institutional focus is transportation, communications, engineering, and related sciences.
Did you know?Several Jiaotong universities trace their institutional ancestry to late-Qing efforts to modernize China’s railways, telegraph systems, and technical education.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
交
“To cross, intersect, join, or exchange”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
通
“To pass through, connect, communicate, or make accessible”
Late Qing period
Chinese
交通
“Transportation, traffic, or communication; literally the joining and passage of things”
1896
Chinese
南洋公学
“Nanyang Public School, an institutional predecessor of Shanghai Jiaotong University”
Early 20th Century
Chinese
交通大学
“Jiaotong University, a name associated with higher education in transportation, communications, and engineering”
Modern English
English
Jiaotong University
“The established English name used by several Chinese universities, including Shanghai Jiaotong University and Xi’an Jiaotong University”