Shaanxi
/ˈʃænˌʃiː/noun
A province in north-central China, centered on the Wei River valley and the historic city of Xi’an.
Did you know?The spelling “Shaanxi” was adopted in English largely to distinguish the province from neighboring Shanxi, whose name is written with different Chinese characters and means “west of the mountains.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Chinese
陕 (Shǎn)
“An ancient geographic name associated with the Shan area or pass.”
Warring States period
Chinese
关中 (Guānzhōng)
““Within the passes,” the strategic heartland surrounding the Wei River valley.”
Song dynasty
Chinese
陕西路 (Shǎnxī Lù)
““Shan-west Circuit,” an administrative region west of the Shan area.”
Ming–Qing period
Chinese
陕西 (Shǎnxī)
“The established provincial name, literally “west of Shan.””
19th–20th Century
Postal Romanization
Shensi / Shensi Province
“Older Western romanizations of the Chinese provincial name.”
Modern English
English
Shaanxi
“The modern English romanization used to distinguish 陕西 from neighboring 山西, Shanxi.”