Luoyang
/lwɔ̌ʊ jǎŋ/noun
A historic city in Henan Province, China, known as a major ancient capital and cultural center.
Did you know?In traditional Chinese geographic symbolism, yang refers to the sunnier or northern side of a river, while yin refers to the shadier southern side—so the name preserves an ancient landscape-based cosmology.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
洛
“Luo, the name of the river associated with the city”
Western Zhou, c. 11th–8th century BCE
Chinese
洛邑
“Luoyi, literally the Luo settlement or town; an early name for the royal city in the Luo River region”
Eastern Zhou, 770 BCE
Chinese
雒邑
“Luoyi, the eastern Zhou capital established in the Luo River area”
Han Dynasty, 2nd century BCE
Chinese
洛阳
“Luoyang, the place north of the Luo River; the modern name became established”
Modern English
English
Luoyang
“The standard English romanization of the Mandarin Chinese name 洛阳”