Kaifeng
/kaɪˈfɛŋ/noun
Kaifeng is a historic city in Henan Province, China, formerly a major imperial capital.
Did you know?Kaifeng was the capital of the Northern Song dynasty and one of the world’s largest cities around the 11th century, when it hosted a vast night market and international trade community.
Etymological Timeline
4th Century BCE
Chinese
大梁 (Dàliáng)
“The city was known as Daliang, an important capital of the ancient state of Wei.”
364 BCE
Chinese
浚儀 (Jùnyí)
“The Wei ruler moved the capital to Daliang; the surrounding settlement also became associated with the name Junyi.”
Han Dynasty
Chinese
開封 (Kāifēng)
“Kaifeng became an established administrative place-name; the characters mean “open” and “seal” or “enfeoffment.””
7th Century
Chinese
汴州 (Biànzhōu)
“Under the Sui and Tang dynasties, the city was commonly known as Bianzhou, referring to the Bian River and its administrative district.”
10th–12th Centuries
Chinese
東京 (Dōngjīng) / 汴京 (Biànjīng)
“As the Northern Song capital, it was called Dongjing, “Eastern Capital,” and Bianjing, “Bian Capital.””
Modern English
English
Kaifeng
“The modern English form follows the Mandarin pinyin romanization Kāifēng.”