# The Great Wall, Yangtze River



## gao_yixing

In Chinese, they are called 长城（chang cheng) and 长江（chang jiang), which mean long city(wall) and long river. What are their names in other languages?


----------



## Flaminius

Japanese:
Great Wall - 万里の長城 (banri-no chōjō)
長城 alone can be hardly understood without context.
Yangtze River - 長江 (chōkō)
揚子江 (yōsukō) has been used for a long time but is being replaced by the more accurate 長江.


----------



## Tino_no

In spanish:
长城 - Gran muralla (china) - "chinese great wall"
长江 - Río Yang-Tse-Qiang


----------



## Frank06

Hi,
*[edit: Dutch]*
长城 : de Chinese Muur, de Grote Muur (but the latter one only when the context is clear)
[lit. the Chinese wall, the Great Wall)
长江 : Jangtsekiang or Blauwe Rivier [the Blue River]

Groetjes,

Frank


----------



## Chazzwozzer

*Turkish:*
*the Great Wall:* Çin Seddi
*Yangtze River: *Yangce Nehri


----------



## faranji

En español al Tang-Tsé también se le llama Río Azul.


----------



## gao_yixing

Frank06 said:


> 长城 : de Chinese Muur, de Grote Muur (but the latter one only when the context is clear)
> [lit. the Chinese wall, the Great Wall)
> 长江 : Jangtsekiang or Blauwe Rivier [the Blue River]



Hi. Thank you.
But what language is this? Is it Flemish or French?
It's interesting that Yangtze River is called Blue River. It is not so clear indeed.


----------



## Frank06

Oops, I forgot to indicate it's *Dutch*. The terms I mentioned are used in Flanders and the Netherlands. No idea where the 'blue' comes from . BTW, 'blue water' in Dutch means (or has the connotation of) crystal clear water...

But since you mentioned *French*:
长城 : la Grande Muraille (also the name of a Chinese bookstore in Brussels 
长江 : Yangzi Jiang, Chang Jiang, or fleuve Bleu

Groetjes,

Frank


----------



## gao_yixing

Wow....quick response. Thank you very much!


----------



## irene.acler

In Italian:
*the Great Wall:* La grande muraglia cinese
*Yangtze River:* Fiume Azzurro


----------



## DrWatson

Finnish:

The Great Wall: *Kiinan muuri *(lit. Chinese wall)
Yangtze River: *Jangtse*


----------



## Etcetera

In Russian:
The Great Wall - Великая Китайская стена (Vel*i*kaya Kit*a*jskaya sten*a*)
Yangtze River: Янцзы (Yantszy).


----------



## ayed

In Arabic:
The Great Wall : *سور الصين العظيم*
*Transliteration :*Soor as-Seen al-'Adheem

Yangtze River : *نهر ينقتز*
*Transliteration :*Nahr Yungtiz


----------



## Outsider

Portuguese:

The Great Wall (of China): *a Grande Muralha (da China)*
the river Yangtze: *o rio Yangtze* (I have never heard another name for it)


----------



## Tolovaj_Mataj

Slovene:

The Great Wall: *Véliki kitajski zid*
Yangtze River: *Modra reka*

If I remember correctly from the elementary school, we were taught like this:
Jangce kiang = Modra reka (The Blue river)
Hoang Ho = Rumena reka (The Yellow river)
I always thought these are correct translations.


----------



## cherine

ayed said:


> In Arabic:
> The Great Wall : *سور الصين العظيم*
> *Transliteration :*Soor as-Seen al-'Adheem
> 
> Yangtze River : *نهر ينقتز*
> *Transliteration :*Nahr Yungtiz


I agree with the first, which by the way means : the great fence of China.

As for the second one, I never read the transliteration like this. In Egypt, at least, we say يانجتسي Yangetsi (the extra (e) is due to the impossibility -for the Arab tongue- to pronounce three/four consecutive consonants).


----------



## mcibor

Polish:

*Wielki Mur Chiński* - Great Wall of China
*Jangcy* - Yangtze River

In Polish we don't add word "river" to rivers. Moreover you can say, and be understood:
Wielki Mur
Mur Chiński
for the Great Wall

Regards
Michał


----------



## sunchaser

in romaneste
the great wall = marele zid chinezesc (the great chinesse wall)
yangtze river = fluviul albastru (the blue river)
(Hung he = fluviul galben)


----------



## Nu971

In Thai language we call..
กำแพงเมืองจีน (Kamphaeng Muang Jeen) -- Chinese Wall
แม่น้ำแยงซี (Menam Yang Zee) -- Yangtze River


----------



## Tolovaj_Mataj

This is so hilarious:

Polish: Wielki* Mur *Chiński (Great Wall of China)
Rumanian: marele *zid* chinezesc (the great chinesse wall)

(Slavic) Poles use a word from Romance languages and (Romanic) Rumanians use a word of Slavic origine. Yes, yes, the "naighbour's" words sound much much beter than our own.


----------



## Lugubert

Lovely thread!

In Swedish, the Wall is _Kinesiska muren_ (The Chinese wall).

My 1937 dictionary explains, *Yang-tsï-kiang*, Jang-tse-kiang, by Europeans sometimes erroneously named the Blue River [...]

My normally well researched world atlas (in Swedish, 1996) has for the upper reaches _Yangtze Kiang_, then in Sichuan _Jinsha Jiang_, and finally _Changjiang_ (one word!).

The semi-official _Nationalencyklopedin_ writes (2007 Internet edition), "*Chang Jiang*, _Långa floden_, _Changfloden_, tidigare _Yangzi Jiang_, _Yang-tse-kiang_, _Jangtse-kiang_".

_Långa floden _'the long river', _Changfloden_ 'the Chang river'; _tidigare_ 'previously'. Obviously, _jiang_ = 'river'.

I have to digress when in these parts of the world: lots of geographical names are pleonasms, meaning that for example _XX river_ in some language makes _XX river River_ in English. _Yarlung Zangbo_ means the 'Yarlung River' inTibetan. In Chinese, it's _Yarlung Zangbo Jiang_. I won't be surprised the day I see the _Yarlung Zangbo Jiang River_ mentioned in English. Anyway, In Bangla Desh they say the Jamuna, and to me, it's the Brahmaputra.


----------



## gao_yixing

Thank you all！


Lugubert said:


> I have to digress when in these parts of the world: lots of geographical names are pleonasms, meaning that for example _XX river_ in some language makes _XX river River_ in English. _Yarlung Zangbo_ means the 'Yarlung River' inTibetan. In Chinese, it's _Yarlung Zangbo Jiang_. I won't be surprised the day I see the _Yarlung Zangbo Jiang River_ mentioned in English. Anyway, In Bangla Desh they say the Jamuna, and to me, it's the Brahmaputra.


 
That's really a good point. In Chinese, we also call the lower reaches of Yarlung Zangbo Jiang as Bulamaputela He, which is a transliteration from Brahmaputra.


----------



## apmoy70

Greek:

The Great Wall: *«To Μέγα Σινικό Τείχος»* [tɔ ˈme.ɣa si.niˈkɔ ˈti.xɔs] --> _The Great Chinese Wall_ (note that the adj. *«σινικό»* [si.niˈkɔ] (neut.) --> _Chinese, pertaining to China_, is a modern construction (1785) and reserved solely for this phrase*** < Byz. Gr. masc. nom. pl. *«Σῖναι» Sînai̯* --> _the Chinese people_ < Qin state (秦), the name of China in the ancient/mediaeval Greek speaking world).

***...and the feminine form *«σινική»* [si.niˈci] is used in relation to the noun *«θάλασσα»* [ˈθa.la.sa] (fem.) --> _sea_ & *«μελάνη»* [meˈla.ni] (fem.) --> _ink_, only. The masc. *«σινικός»* [si.niˈkɔs] is not used at all:
*«Σινικές θάλασσες»* [si.niˈces ˈθa.la.ses] --> _Chinese seas (Yellow, East, South)_
*«Σινική μελάνη»* [si.niˈci meˈla.ni] --> _Chinese ink_

Yangtze river: *«Ποταμός Γιαγκτσέ»* [pɔ.taˈmɔs ʝaŋgˈʦ͡e]


----------



## bibax

Czech:

*Velká čínská zeď* = lit. great/big Chinese wall;

*Jang-c’-ťiang* (we use a Czech transcription for the Chinese names) from 扬子江 , _Yángzǐ Jiāng_
(Czech pronunciation roughly ['jaŋk.tsə.'c̟jaŋk], with palatal t [c̟])
(we do not use a transcription of 長江 / 长江, _Cháng Jiāng_)


----------



## nimak

*Macedonian*:

长城 - The Great Wall of China = *Кинескиот Ѕид* [ki'nɛski.ɔt 'd͡zid], lit. _The-Chinese Wall_

长江 - Yangtze = *Јангцекјанг *['jaŋgt͡sɛkjaŋg] or *Јангце *['jaŋgt͡sɛ]


----------



## Penyafort

*Catalan:*

长城 - The Great Wall of China = *La Gran Muralla (xinesa)* [grəmmu'ɾaʎ̟əʃi'nɛzə], lit. _The (Chinese) Great Wall_

长江 - Yangtze = *el Iangtsé *[jaŋg't͡se]  _or _*el Iangtse *['jaŋg't͡sə], lit. _The Yangtze_ 

-- Never heard _Riu Blau_ in Catalan, which would be the equivalent to Fleuve Bleu/Río Azul/Fiume Azzurro, though I guess it may feature in some publications. Yet _Riu Groc_ 'Yellow River' for the Huanghe is often used.​


----------



## Circunflejo

Tino_no said:


> Río Yang-Tse-Qiang


In Spain, río Yangtsé.



Penyafort said:


> Never heard _Riu Blau_ in Catalan, which would be the equivalent to Fleuve Bleu/Río Azul/Fiume Azzurro, though I guess it may feature in some publications.


You are right. It features in some publications.


----------

