Xianning
/ɕjɛn˥˥ niŋ˧˥/noun
Xianning is a city in Hubei Province, China, and the seat of Xianning Prefecture-level City.
Did you know?咸宁 (Xianning) was also the name of a Western Jin dynasty reign period from 275 to 280 CE, giving the place-name an imperial historical echo.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
咸 (xián)
“All, whole, universal; an ancient Chinese word later used in the place-name’s first character.”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
寧 (níng)
“Peace, tranquility, or settled security.”
275–280 CE
Chinese
咸宁 (Xianning)
““Universal peace”; the reign title of Emperor Wu of the Western Jin dynasty.”
Historical Chinese
Chinese
咸宁
“A traditional Chinese name formed from the characters meaning “all” and “peace,” used in regional administrative naming.”
20th Century
Wade–Giles
Hsien-ning
“An older Romanization of 咸宁 used in English-language maps and historical sources.”
Modern English
English
Xianning
“The modern Hanyu Pinyin romanization of 咸宁, a city in Hubei, China.”