三亞
See also: 三亚
Chinese
three | second; inferior; Asia | ||
---|---|---|---|
trad. (三亞) | 三 | 亞 | |
simp. (三亚) | 三 | 亚 |
Etymology
First attested in 1521 in 正德瓊台志.
Wang (2014) suggests that 三亞 is borrowed from a Hlai word meaning "field with crows".
- 三 (Hainanese /ta¹/) is borrowed from Hlai dax (“field; farmland”) (Heitu dialect: /naː²/).
- 亞/亚 (Hainanese /a¹/) is likely borrowed from Hlai eek (“crow”) (Heitu dialect: /ʔaːʔ⁹/).
Note that toponyms with 三 as the first character are common in southern Hainan where the Hlai (Li) people live.
Originally referring to the area around Sanya Harbor (三亞港), it replaced 崖縣/崖县 (Yáxiàn, “Ya County”) in 1984 to refer to the entire prefecture-level city.
Pronunciation
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