Xiang
/ɕjɑ́ŋ/noun
A Sinitic language group spoken mainly in Hunan Province and surrounding areas of China.
Did you know?Xiang is named after the Xiang River, one of the major waterways flowing through Hunan, although the deeper origin of the river name is uncertain.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Old Chinese
湘
“The character used in the name of the Xiang River; its original hydronymic meaning is uncertain.”
Han Dynasty
Chinese
湘
“A geographic name associated with the Xiang River and the Xiang region in present-day Hunan.”
Medieval China
Middle Chinese
湘 (sjang)
“The established name of the Xiang River and surrounding administrative region.”
19th Century
English
Hsiang
“An older English and missionary romanization for the Chinese name and its regional speech.”
Modern English
English
Xiang
“The modern pinyin form for the Xiang language group and related geographic names.”
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