Shandong
/ˌʃænˈdɔːŋ/noun
A province of eastern China, also known historically in English as Shantung.
Did you know?Mount Tai in Shandong was one of ancient China’s most sacred mountains, associated with imperial fengshan rites linking earthly rulers to Heaven.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
山東 (*sreən tˤoŋ)
“Mountain east; a directional phrase meaning east of the mountains”
Middle Chinese, 6th–10th centuries
Middle Chinese
山東 (ṣan tung)
“The region east of a major mountain range”
17th Century
European transcription
Shantung
“An older European romanization of the Chinese provincial name”
19th–20th centuries
English
Shantung
“The established English name for the Chinese province”
Modern English
Mandarin Pinyin
Shandong (山东)
“The modern pinyin form, literally “east of the mountains””