Taiyuan
/taɪˈjuːɛn/; Mandarin: /tʰâɪ ɥɛ̌n/noun
Taiyuan is the capital of Shanxi Province in northern China.
Did you know?The name Taiyuan, written 太原, appears in ancient Chinese historical texts and describes the broad elevated plain associated with the region; the city itself was also historically known as Jinyang.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, before the 3rd century BCE
Old Chinese
太原
“A great plain or expansive upland region”
3rd century BCE
Chinese
Taiyuan
“A recognized regional name in the historical geography of northern China”
206 BCE–220 CE
Han Chinese
太原郡
“Taiyuan Commandery, an administrative division of the Han Empire”
3rd–10th centuries
Medieval Chinese
Jinyang / Taiyuan
“The region was strongly associated with Jinyang, an important ancient city in present-day Taiyuan”
1375
Ming Chinese
太原府
“Taiyuan Prefecture, an established Ming administrative unit”
Modern English
English
Taiyuan
“The modern English romanization of 太原, the capital of Shanxi Province”