Tian Shan
/ˌtiː.ɑːn ˈʃɑːn/noun
A major mountain system in Central Asia, extending across Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Xinjiang, China.
Did you know?The range’s Chinese name, 天山, combines 天 (heaven or sky) with 山 (mountain), while Turkic peoples historically used names connected with Tengri, the sky deity.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese
Old Chinese
天山
“A compound meaning “heaven/sky mountain”; the modern Chinese characters descend from early Chinese forms.”
Han Dynasty
Chinese
天山
“A recorded name for the great mountain system north and west of the Chinese heartland.”
Medieval Period
Middle Chinese
天山
“The name continued in Chinese geographical and historical writing, pronounced with Middle Chinese readings.”
Medieval Turkic Period
Turkic
Tengri Tagh
““Mountains of Heaven” or “Heavenly Mountains,” a Turkic naming tradition associated with the sky deity Tengri.”
19th Century
European English
Tien Shan
“An older English transliteration based on historical Chinese pronunciation and spelling conventions.”
Modern English
English
Tian Shan
“The standard modern English transliteration of the Chinese name for the Central Asian mountain range.”
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