汕头

汕頭

Shàn tóu

Meanings

CC-CEDICT

Shàn tóu

1.see 汕头市[Shàn tóu Shì]

CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA

Wiktionary

1.Shantou (a prefecture-level city of Guangdong, China)

Wiktionary · CC BY-SA

Etymology

While the modern Teochew pronunciation contains the first syllable in the yinping (陰平／阴平) tone, as attested in Handbook of the Swatow Vernacular [1886] by Lim Hiong Seng, it appears that historically the first syllable of the toponym had the yinqu (陰去／阴去) tone. The pronunciation Suàⁿ-thâu is recorded in A Pronouncing and Defining Dictionary of the Swatow Dialect [1883] by Adele M. Fielde and English-Chinese Vocabulary of the Vernacular Or Spoken Language of Swatow [1883] by William Duffus. The toponym is a shortening of 沙汕頭／沙汕头. In 1717, a fort, 沙汕頭砲臺, was constructed in the area, which was then under the administration of Chenghai (澄海) county. Both 沙汕頭／沙汕头 and 汕頭 /汕头 are attested in 潮州海防圖說 [c. 18th century] by official Lan Dingyuan (藍鼎元). 沙汕 is cognate with Hokkien 沙線／沙线 (soa-sòaⁿ, “sandbank”).

Wiktionary · CC BY-SA