Shaanxi

== English == === Alternative forms === Shanhsi (Wade–Giles) Shensi (Postal Romanization) Shen-hsi, Shenhsi Xensi (obsolete) Shanxi (Hanyu Pinyin, proscribed) Shaangxi, Sha'anxi, Shenxi (misspelling) === Etymology === From a modified form of the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Chinese 陝西 / 陕西 (Shǎnxī, “West of the Shan [Pass]”). The double-a spelling, used certainly to avoid homography with Shanxi (山西, of shān rather than shǎn), is not a feature of Hanyu Pinyin and cannot be observed outside reference to Shaanxi (see also: Ningshaan, Shaanbei, Shaan-Gan-Ning, Shaanzhong). It is likely inherited from the pre-Pinyin Latinxua Sin Wenz system devised and employed by Communist linguists, which was toneless and employed "irregular spellings" for undesirable homographs. The pairs Shaansi (陝西 / 陕西) and Shansi (山西) appear (for the first time?) in the influential Sin Wenz primer 《中國話寫法拉丁化——理論·原則·方案》 (1935). An alternative theory is that the double-a spelling is from the Gwoyeu Romatzyh romanization system, where the third tone is spelled by doubling a vowel (Shaanshi 陝西 / 陕西 vs. Shanshi 山西), but this is less likely considering the history of Gwoyeu Romatzyh and Sin Wenz, including the political and ideological rivalry between the two systems. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ʃɑːnˈʃiː/, /ˈʃænˈʃiː/, enPR: shänʹshēʹ Rhymes: -iː Homophone: Shanxi Hyphenation: Shaan‧xi === Proper noun === Shaanxi A province of China, including the Wei River valley and the fertile southern half of the Ordos Loop, comprising much of the Loess Plateau. Capital: Xi'an. For more quotations using this term, see Citations:Shaanxi. ==== Translations ==== === See also === Not to be confused with Shanxi. === References === === Further reading === “Shaanxi”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present. “Shaanxi, Shensi, Xensi, Sha'anxi”, in Google Books Ngram Viewer. “Shaanxi, pn.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022. “Shaanxi”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. “Shaanxi”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. “Shaanxi”, in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2026 Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo fen sheng dituji (Hanyu Pinyin ban) (Atlas of the People's Republic of China (Hanyu Pinyin edition)