Suzhou
/suːˈdʒoʊ/; Mandarin: /su˥ tʂoʊ˥/noun
A major historic city in Jiangsu Province, China, traditionally known for canals, gardens, and silk production.
Did you know?Suzhou’s classical gardens were designed as miniature landscapes, turning rock, water, plants, and architecture into carefully balanced symbolic worlds.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Imperial China
Chinese
Gusu (姑蘇)
“An ancient place-name associated with the area around present-day Suzhou; its ultimate meaning is uncertain.”
221–206 BCE
Chinese
Wu (吳)
“The name of the regional kingdom and later administrative area encompassing the Suzhou region.”
589 CE
Middle Chinese
蘇州
“Su Prefecture; the Sui dynasty established this administrative name, traditionally connected with Gusu Mountain.”
7th–10th Century
Middle Chinese
蘇州
“Su Prefecture, an important city and administrative center in southeastern China.”
10th–13th Century
Chinese
平江府
“Pingjiang Prefecture, a later administrative name for the city during the Song period.”
19th Century
English
Soochow
“An older English transcription of the Chinese city name.”
Modern English
English
Suzhou
“The standard modern Romanization of 蘇州, the city’s official English name.”