Dictionary

Zhabei en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• jäʹbāʹ

Etymology

The atonal Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 閘北 /闸北 (Zháběi, literally “area north of the sluices”), named after its position relative to two canal sluices constructed during the middle of the Qing dynasty.

Meanings

1. (historical) A former district of Shanghai, China, now merged with Jing'an.
   • On the waterfront, just outside the foreign settlements, the streets swarmed with filth-ridden beggars and coolies. Half an hour by car from the centre of the city lay the ruins of the Chinese suburb Cha-pei. [1982 [1975], Otto Braun, “Shanghai, 1932–1933”, in Jeanne Moore, transl., Chinesische Aufzeichnungen (1932-1939) 一个共产国际顾问在中国 [A Comintern Agent in China 1932-1939], Stanford, Cali.: Stanford University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 1:
   • Shanghai Railroad station, West Tianmu Road, Zhabei District, Shanghai The lady who's in charge of the money pot told me that most of the people who work in the toilets are paid about 1,200 RMB (€127) each month. It's less than the average wage in China (€200), but it's not bad. The toilet is managed by Amenities Authority under Zhabei District (Shanghai) local government, so excluding maintenance costs, the rest of the money turns into government revenue." 2008 December 16, Xiaodong Du, “Shanghai's public toilets make pots of money”, in France 24, archived from the original on 10 Sep 2015:

Forms

Translations (2)

cmn 閘北 /闸北 (Former district of Shanghai, China) · yue 閘北 /闸北 (Former district of Shanghai, China)

wikipedia: sluice · wikipedia: Qing dynasty · wikipedia: canal