Kunshan
/ˈkʊn.ʃɑːn/noun
Kunshan is a city and county-level city in Jiangsu Province, China.
Did you know?The character 山 means “mountain,” while 昆 in Kunshan functions primarily as a historical place-name element rather than securely meaning “insect,” its common standalone translation.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese period
Old Chinese
昆山
“An early Chinese name formed from 昆, a place-name element, and 山, “mountain.””
Middle Chinese period
Middle Chinese
昆山
“The written place-name continued in the Chinese literary tradition; 山 was pronounced approximately shan in later historical stages.”
Imperial China
Chinese
昆山縣
“Kunshan County, a jurisdiction named after the local Kun Mountain or the established geographic name.”
13th Century
Middle Chinese
Kunshan
“The name was represented in Western sources through transcription and historical accounts of the Jiangsu region.”
Modern English
English
Kunshan
“The standard English romanization of 昆山, now referring chiefly to the city in Jiangsu Province.”
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