北平

From 北 (běi, “north”) + 平 (píng, “peace, pacification”), used in the sense of pacified or conquered territory.

北平

1. (～郡) (historical) Beiping, Peiping (an ancient commandery in present-day Baoding, Hebei, China)
2. (historical) Beiping/Peiping (the name of Beijing during the early Ming dynasty, between its conquest by the Hongwu emperor and its renaming by the Yongle emperor)
3. (～市) (historical or dated Taiwan officialese) Beiping/Peiping (the name of Beijing during the early 20th century when the Republic of China removed its capital to Nanking)
   • Apr 1931, Lao She, “一些印象”, in 齊大月刊, volume 1, number 6, pages 555–557:

     對於一個在北平住慣的人，像我，冬天要是不刮大風，便覺得是奇蹟；濟南的冬天是沒有風聲的。 [MSC, trad.]
     对于一个在北平住惯的人，像我，冬天要是不刮大风，便觉得是奇迹；济南的冬天是没有风声的。 [MSC, simp.]

     Duìyú yīge zài Běipíng zhù guàn de rén, xiàng wǒ, dōngtiān yào shì bù guā dàfēng, biàn juéde shì qíjì; Jǐnán de dōng tiān shì méiyǒu fēngshēng de. [Pinyin]

     For someone like me who is accustomed to living in Beiping, if there is no strong wind in winter, it feels like a miracle; in Jinan, the winter is without the sound of wind.

   • 大奸巨憝惡貫滿盈毛匪澤東斃命北平 [Taiwanese Mandarin, trad.]
     大奸巨憝恶贯满盈毛匪泽东毙命北平 [Taiwanese Mandarin, simp.]

     From: 1976 September 10, in China Times

     dàjiān jùduì èguànmǎnyíng Máo fěi Zédōng bìmìng Běipíng [Pinyin]

     Criminal Traitor Mao Bandit Tsetung Dies in Peiping

   • 7月28日[…]1937年 日本佔領中國北平 [MSC, trad.]
     7月28日[…]1937年 日本占领中国北平 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1986, Qian Gang, 《唐山大地震》 [The Great Tangshan Earthquake]

     7 yuè 28 rì […] 1937 nián   Rìběn zhànlǐng Zhōngguó Běipíng [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 中國臺北「中央氣象局」稱：陽明山鞍部的地震儀測到大陸北部的強烈地震，規模為8級。震中在「北平」東部135公里附近。 [MSC, trad.]
     中国台北「中央气象局」称：阳明山鞍部的地震仪测到大陆北部的强烈地震，规模为8级。震中在「北平」东部135公里附近。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1986, Qian Gang, 《唐山大地震》 [The Great Tangshan Earthquake]

     Zhōngguó Táiběi “Zhōngyāng Qìxiàngjú” chēng: Yángmíng Shān ānbù de dìzhènyí cè dào Dàlù běibù de qiángliè dìzhèn, guīmó wèi 8 jí. Zhènzhōng zài “Běipíng” dōngbù 135 gōnglǐ fùjìn. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

In the third sense, the most common English usage is Peiping, Pei-ping, or Pei-p'ing, all based on the Wade-Giles romanization of Chinese characters which was more commonly used in English during this period of Chinese history.

• (Beijing): 北京 (Běijīng), (literary, or ironic, humorous) 帝都 (dìdū), (historical, archaic) 燕京 (Yānjīng)

• → English: Peiping
• → Japanese: 北平(ペーピン) (pēpin)

From Mandarin 北平 (Běipíng, “Beiping”).

• IPA^(key): [pe̞ːpʲĩɴ]

北平(ペーピン) • (Pēpin) 

1. (historical) Alternative spelling of ペーピン (“Beiping”), a former name of Beijing.

Note that Chinese sources use Beiping for the name of Beijing during its Japanese occupation amid the Second Sino-Japanese War; Japan, however, formally restored the name Beijing (北京, Pekin) during this period in an attempt to legitimize the Chinese state it established there.