Geography 1. General names and terms: 舆地, 方舆 : „chassis-like earth“ , „square chassis“, found in geographical writings in the general sense of the earth or territory 浑天仪: „revolving sky instrument“, an astronomical sigting and measuring instrument comprised of several graduated rings, each one representing the path of movement of a heavenly body 籍贯/原籍: „place of registry“, the seat of one’s lineage and the place where one is legally registered for purposes of taxation, conscription,corvee, and census 九州: According to 《尚书·禹贡》, Yu 禹 divided the world into Nine Provinces - 冀、豫、雍、扬、兖、徐、梁、青、荆 山海经: „ Canon on Mountains and Seas“, the most famous compilation describing fantastic places and strange beings, which is a composite of several texts written at different times 方志: „ Local Gazetteer“, in which local history was recorded 东南西北/东西南北: two conventional sequences for listing the Four Quarters
http://www.chinapage.com/map/ancient/direction.html
2. Administrative units First-order administrative units (Province):
州 ( Han to Sui) , 道( Tang and Liao) , 路( Song, Jin and Yuan) , 省( Ming and Qing) Second- order administrative units (Prefecture): 郡( Qin to Sui) , 州( Tang and several dynasties), 府( basically Tang to Qing) Third-order administrative units ( County): 县( all dynasties) Local units: 城: walled city 邑: town 市: market, market place or market town 阙: passes through mountain ranges or fortified gateways 乡: moderately large rural or semi-rural area 村, 社, 里, 邻, 镇, 店, 莊, 店, 铺, 营, 亭, 集, 厝: generally translated as “village”
3. Abbreviations for Chinese Provinces
4. 同名异地 and 同地异名 同名异地 „ different places with the same name“ 山东:战国时称六国为山东,秦国在关中,六国在崤(yáo)山函谷关以东,故称。贾 谊《过秦论》:“山东豪俊,遂并起而亡秦族矣。”汉时指为齐鲁一带地方。《汉 书· 儒林传》:伏生得《尚书》二十九篇,“以教于齐鲁之间,齐学者由此颇能言《尚 书》,山东大师亡不涉《尚书》以教。” 江南:《史记·货殖列传》:“江南豫章长沙。”当指今天的湖南、江西、两广一带地 方。现在的江南,汉时称为江东。《史 记·项羽本纪》:“纵江东父兄怜而王我,我何 面目见之。” 北京:西晋时的北京是洛阳,南朝时的北京是京口,北魏时的北京是山西大同,唐五 代的北京是太原,北宋时的北京是大名府,即今河北省大名县,明初的北京是开封, 明清时的北京是今天的北京。 扬州:六朝的扬州治所是今天的南京,隋以后才移到今天的扬州市。 南京:北宋时的南京是宋州,即今河南商丘市。
苏州:唐代的苏州,所辖包括今苏州、上海、嘉兴等地,范围大于今天的苏州好几倍。
蓟(jì):南北朝以前指今天的北京,唐以后指今河北省蓟县。 2、同地异名 „same place with different names“ 杭州:隋朝始置杭州,后移治钱唐(县),故称钱唐。唐朝时改称馀杭(郡)。南宋 时称临安(府),民国时称杭县。杭州旧称武林,以山得名,(武林山者,灵隐、天 竺诸山之总名也)。五代钱鏐建立吴越国,置钱江、仁和两县,并为杭州治。宋改称 仁和。明清时并为杭州府治。 http://hereson.javaeye.com/blog/189841