Dictionary

Beijing en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• /beɪˈʒɪŋ/ hyperforeign
• (US) audio
• /ˌbeɪˈʒɪŋ/ hyperforeign
• (US) audio
• bā′jĭng′
• /beɪˈd͡ʒɪŋ/
• /ˌbeɪˈd͡ʒɪŋ/

Etymology

c. 1958, borrowed from Hanyu Pinyin Běijīng, romanization of the Mandarin Chinese 北京 (Běijīng, literally “northern capital”). The name Beijing was to distinguish the city from Nanjing to the south, and first applied informally during the reign of the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who preferred to rule from Beijing but was obliged to treat Nanjing as a secondary capital by the dynastic injunctions of his father the Hongwu Emperor. The name continued a practice of several preceding dynasties—especially those of nomadic conquerers from the north such as the Jin and Liao—of maintaining a number of separate capitals designated by their cardinal directions.

Meanings

1. A direct-administered municipality, the capital city of China.
   • A protester unfurled two banners on a highway overpass in central Beijing on Oct. 13, denouncing Xi Jinping as a “despotic traitor.” China’s censors went to great lengths to scrub the internet of any reference to the act of dissent, prohibiting all discussion and shutting down many offending social media accounts. 2022 October 24, Li Yuan, “A Lonely Protest in Beijing Inspires Young Chinese to Find Their Voice”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 Oct 2022, Business:
   • Backhoes moved house by house, laying waste to a community called Xitai that was built in a plush green valley on the northern edge of Beijing, only a short walk from the Great Wall of China. 2020 August 7, Steven Lee Myers, Keith Bradsher, “Beijing Launches Another Demolition Drive, This Time in Its Bucolic Suburbs”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 07 Aug 2020, Asia Pacific:
   • Liu Lao-zheng sidled right up to Zao-hua and said: “That’s right. I went to Beijing [Peking] to visit with my daughter. Zao-hua, I hear that you have become the workpoint recorder.”[…] Liu Lao-zheng pulled out an abacus from a sack he was carrying over his shoulder. “Huala, huala,” he shook it several times and said: “I bought one in Beijing. I’ll lend it to you to use.” 1976 [1966], Hao Ran, “Debut”, in Wong Kam-ming, transl., Revolutionary Literature in China: An Anthology, White Plains, New York: M. E. Sharpe, Inc., →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 92:
   • Beijing regularly faces dust storms in March and April due to its proximity to the Gobi desert as well as deforestation throughout northern China. 2023 March 22, “China: Sandstorms blanket Beijing as air pollution spikes”, in Deutsche Welle, archived from the original on 22 Mar 2023:
2. (metonymically) The government of the People's Republic of China.
   • While Beijing has credited the law with restoring peace and order to the city, it has been criticised by rights groups and western governments for imprisoning pro-democracy activists and undermining civil freedoms. 2023 June 15, Didi Tang, “Spotify removes protest song Glory to Hong Kong”, in The Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 Jun 2023, World:
   • In the Shanghai Communiqué of 1972, we recognized the fact that both Beijing and Taipei viewed Taiwan as part of China but unequivocally expressed our support for a peaceful settlement of the unification issue. While we should not alter the fundamental pillars of our policy, we should consider certain steps that will raise Taiwan's international standing. 1992, Richard Nixon, “The Pacific Triangle”, in Seize the Moment, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 181:
   • Russian officials have raised increasingly frustrated requests for greater support during discussions with Beijing in recent weeks, calling on China to live up to its affirmation of a “no limits” partnership made weeks before the war in Ukraine began. But China’s leadership wants to expand assistance for Russia without running afoul of Western sanctions and has set limits on what it will do, according to Chinese and U.S. officials. 2022 June 2, Cate Cadell, Ellen Nakashima, “Beijing chafes at Moscow’s requests for support, Chinese officials say”, in The Washington Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 06 Jun 2022:
   • In Beijing’s view, in the absence of an explicit treaty provision, the central line of the main channel—the Thalweg principle—provided a legal basis for delimiting the boundary in the two rivers. On this basis, Beijing claimed that 600 of the rivers’ 700 islands—including Zhenbao Island on the Ussuri River, just 180 miles southwest of an important Soviet city, Khabarovsk—belonged to the P.R.C. 1980, Melvin Gurton, Byong-Moo Hwang, China under Threat: The Politics of Strategy and Diplomacy, Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 210:

Forms

Deriveds

Beijingese · Beijing Time · Beijing duck · Beijing opera · Beijinger · Beijing bikini

Synonyms

Zhongdu · Beiping · Khanbaliq · Khanbalik · Cambaluc · Peiping · Ta-tu · Yen-ching · Yan · Chung-tu · Pei-p’ing · Yanjing · Dadu · Zhongnanhai

Translations (158)

csb Pekin (capital of China) · ko 북경 (capital of China) · gl Pequín (capital of China) · az Pekin (capital of China) · sh Bèjdžing (capital of China) · te బేజింగ్ (capital of China) · bua Бээжэн (capital of China) · sah Пекин (capital of China) · kmr Pekîn (capital of China) · ko 베이징 (capital of China) · sgh Байҷӣн (capital of China) · yi בייזשינג (capital of China) · xal Бееҗн (capital of China) · oc Pequin (capital of China) · ota خانبالق (capital of China) · sv Beijing (capital of China) · ast Pequín (capital of China) · bo པེ་ཅིང (capital of China) · mn Бээжин (capital of China) · he פֶּקִינְג (capital of China) · ps بېجېنګ (capital of China) · lo ປັກກິງ (capital of China) · pl Pekin (capital of China) · fr Beijing (capital of China) · cy Beijing (capital of China) · he בֵּייְגִ׳ינְג (capital of China) · ca Pequín (capital of China) · za Baekging (capital of China) · sl Peking (capital of China) · fo Peking (capital of China) · ar بِكِين (capital of China) · bn পিকিং (capital of China) · be Пэкі́н (capital of China) · hak 北京 (capital of China) · acw بِكِّين (capital of China) · kmr Beijing (capital of China) · da Peking (capital of China) · de Peking (capital of China) · ga Béising (capital of China) · eo Pekino (capital of China) · km ប៉ីជិង (capital of China) · ps بيجنګ (capital of China) · sh Бѐјџинг (capital of China) · mk Пекинг (capital of China) · mt Bejġing (capital of China) · tt Ханбалык (capital of China) · hsb Peking (capital of China) · ky Бээжин (capital of China) · tr Pekin (capital of China) · tr Hanbalık (capital of China) · te బీజింగ్ (capital of China) · km ប៉េកាំង (capital of China) · it Pechino (capital of China) · mn Бэйжин (capital of China) · szl Bejdżing (capital of China) · my ပေကျင်း (capital of China) · bn বেইজিং (capital of China) · hu Peking (capital of China) · kn ಬೀಜಿಂಗ್ (capital of China) · lt Pekinas (capital of China) · ta பெய்ஜிங் (capital of China) · sh Пѐкинг (capital of China) · yi פּעקינג (capital of China) · pa ਬੀਜਿੰਗ (capital of China) · cdo 北京 (capital of China) · th เป่ย์จิง (capital of China) · mn ᠪᠡᠭᠡᠵᠢᠩ (capital of China) · hi बेइजिन्ग (capital of China) · or ବେଜିଂ (capital of China) · crh Pekin (capital of China) · gu બેઇજિંગ (capital of China) · mnc ᠪᡝᡤᡳᠩ (capital of China) · dta Bejin (capital of China) · ru Бэйцзи́н (capital of China) · pt Pequim (capital of China) · uk Бейцзі́н (capital of China) · ps پيکنګ (capital of China) · hi बेजिंग (capital of China) · yue 北京 (capital of China) · am ፔኪንግ (capital of China) · wuu 北京 (capital of China) · is Peking (capital of China) · nan-hbl 北京 (capital of China) · ur بیجنگ (capital of China) · es Pekín (capital of China) · rsk Пекинґ (capital of China) · tg Пекин (capital of China) · vi Bắc Kinh (capital of China) · sk Peking (capital of China) · tyv Бээжин (capital of China) · as বেইজিং (capital of China) · tt Пекин (capital of China) · si බෙයිජිං (capital of China) · af Beijing (capital of China) · ba Пекин (capital of China) · el Πεκίνο (capital of China) · bg Пеки́н (capital of China) · lv Pekina (capital of China) · ar پِكِين (capital of China) · ota پكینك (capital of China) · tl Peking (capital of China) · dv ބީޖިންގ (capital of China) · tk Pekin (capital of China) · ru Пеки́н (capital of China) · cmn 北京 (capital of China) · my ပီကင်း (capital of China) · sa बीजिङ्ग् (capital of China) · hy Պեկին (capital of China) · dsb Peking (capital of China) · sjo ᠪᡝᡞᡪᡞᡢ (capital of China) · be Пекі́н (capital of China) · co Pechinu (capital of China) · ii ꀙꏢ (capital of China) · ja ペキン (capital of China) · ne बेइजिङ (capital of China) · sd بیجنگ (capital of China) · sh Pèking (capital of China) · gur Pekɩŋ (capital of China) · rue Пекі́нґ (capital of China) · mi Pīkini (capital of China) · os Пекин (capital of China) · uk Пекі́н (capital of China) · khb ᦵᦗᦲᧉᦋᦲᧃᧈ (capital of China) · dng Быйҗин (capital of China) · nl Peking (capital of China) · be Бэйцзі́н (capital of China) · uz Pekin (capital of China) · ja 北京 (capital of China) · tl Beijing (capital of China) · bo པེ་ཅིན (capital of China) · cs Peking (capital of China) · sv Peking (capital of China) · fa پِکَن (capital of China) · ab Пекин (capital of China) · ug بېيجىڭ (capital of China) · nb Beijing (capital of China) · ka პეკინი (capital of China) · is Beijing (capital of China) · pt Beijing (capital of China) · et Peking (capital of China) · la Pecinum (capital of China) · crh Hanbalıq (capital of China) · ab Беиӡин (capital of China) · de Beijing (capital of China) · kk Бейжің (capital of China) · th ปักกิ่ง (capital of China) · ro Beijing (capital of China) · crp-cpr Печинесеки (capital of China) · fi Peking (capital of China) · fr Pékin (capital of China) · da Beijing (capital of China) · sq Pekin (capital of China) · mt Peking (capital of China) · cv Пекин (capital of China) · ckb پەکین (capital of China) · ce Пекин (capital of China) · fo Beijing (capital of China) · eo Bejĝingo (capital of China)

wikipedia: Facts on File · wikipedia: The Chicago Manual of Style · wikipedia: Ming Dynasty · wikipedia: Yongle Emperor · wikidata: Q956 · wikipedia: Hongwu Emperor · wikipedia: University of Chicago Press · wikipedia: Xinhuamen · wikidata: Q148