Toponymic studies in Jiangxi
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【Summary】Wuxi is located in Jiangnan, Zhong Ling Yuxiu, Renjie Diling, is the famous "town of fish and rice", this feature is fully manifested in place names. The analysis of Wuxi's urban toponymy not only presents the influence of natural geography, history and culture on place names, but also has certain positive significance for excavating the connotation of its Jiangnan culture and further understanding the city.
【Keywords】Wuxi toponymy Cultural linguistics Cultural connotation
Cultural linguistics is a discipline that studies the relationship between language and culture, which explains "the relationship between language and the human and social environment on which it depends." As a unique linguistic phenomenon, the naming and change of place names are closely related to the cultural development process of the region, and reflect the customs, beliefs, cultural psychology and so on of the region. Wuxi is the center of Jiangnan culture, rich in culture and long history, and analyzing the cultural characteristics of Wuxi place names is of great significance for understanding the history and culture of Wuxi.
A vocabulary composition of Wuxi place names
As a special proper noun, a place name is "a linguistic symbol agreed upon by social groups for areas in a geographical environment that have a specific location, scope, morphological characteristics, and directional indications". Viewing the phenomenon of geographical names as a system, it includes "common names, proper names, local noun affixes, abbreviations, elegant names, common names, old names and other factors". Common names are mainly used to distinguish the geographical category to which geographical names belong, while proper names are used to distinguish different individuals from their own kind. Most of the place names in Wuxi are composed of a combination of common names and proper names.
(1) The common name composition of Wuxi geographical names
The common name of Wuxi place names is mainly composed of two types: "nature" and "humanities". The common names of natural geographical entities often reflect the local topographic features and geographical characteristics, such as mountains, piers, etc., which mainly reflect the hilly terrain of Wuxi; while lakes, rivers, ponds, and tangs (the same as "dang")," etc., reflect Wuxi's rich water resources. The geographical environment surrounded by mountains and rivers has been fully highlighted in wuxi place names.
Common names of human geography entities mainly include:
1. The common names of the residents' places mainly based on villages, cities, lanes, streets, towns, etc., such as Qingyang New Village, Lihu New Town, Huangxiang, Fishing Lane, Jiyu Street, Rongxiang Ancient Street, Liyuan Town, etc.;
2. Common names of units based on factories and lanes, such as Xiexin Wool Textile Dyeing Factory, First Silk Reeling Factory, Cloth Row Lane, Zhendou Lane, etc.;
3. It is commonly named for artificial buildings with Jiangnan characteristics such as bridges, gardens, temples, etc., such as Liqiao Bridge, Qingming Bridge of Ancient Canal, Xihui Park, Nanchan Temple, Huishan Temple, etc. The place name reflects Wuxi's prosperous ancient town culture, garden culture and industrial and commercial culture.
(2) The composition of proper names such as surnames and personal names, animals and plants, and historical allusions
On the one hand, the use of surnames and personal names reflects the long history of Wuxi, such as "Taibodu" to commemorate the merits of Taibo Nanben Jingman and the excavation of the river; on the other hand, it also reflects the migration and settlement of the population, "Wuxi's existing thousands of surnames, except for a few surnames, most of them have appeared when the Southern Song Dynasty Chinese mouth moved to the south for the second time." Many of the existing place names in Wuxi are based on newly migrated surnames as proper names, such as Yangxiang, Rongxiang, Yanjiaqiao, Jiaozhuang, Caijialong and so on.
Wuxi is known as the "land of fish and rice", belongs to the subtropical humid climate zone, with four distinct seasons, sunshine and rainfall. There are many kinds of suitable animals and plants here, so there are also many animal and plant names that are closely related to the daily life of the people, such as Duck Beach, which is named after the fat and strong body of the ducks in the reed beach; and Furong Lake, which is named because of the shallowness of the lake and the abundance of rhombus lotus.
Three thousand years ago, Wu Taibo and his brother Zhongyong went south to Meili and opened the Workers' River, which gave rise to the name of "Bodu River"; because Liang Hong and his wife had visited Wuxi, they had the name of "LiangXi"; because the Wu people cursed Fan Li, they got the name of "Li Gang"; because they had a close relationship with Wu Zixu, they had the name of "Lu City". These historical allusions not only add a different style to Wuxi's place names, but also reflect the profound historical heritage.
In addition, the role of the azimuth in place names often refers to geographical locations, such as east, west, south, north, up, down, yin, yang, etc.; such as Ximen, Xicang Village, Beicangmen, Jiangyin, Jiyang Lake and so on. They are determined according to geographical orientation, such as "Yin" in ancient times refers to the south of the water, because Wuxi on the south bank of the Yangtze River has the name of "Jiangyin". These proper names avoid the repetition of geographical names and have the effect of determining the direction of direction in people's daily lives.
Second, the cultural connotation of Wuxi place names
"Place names are mirror images of culture", and place names can reflect the cultural ecology of the region. In addition to indicating the characteristics of physical geography, Wuxi place names are also a concentrated embodiment of local culture.
(1) Exquisite and elegant regional culture
Wuxi's landscapes have bred a unique cultural identity. Wuxi is located on the shore of Taihu Lake, and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal runs through the city. Therefore, Wuxi's place names are mostly alongside the three-point water, and the high-frequency language related to water is known as stream, river, lake, coast, port and so on. In addition, the name of Wuxi originated from Xishan, and most of the place names with mountains and piers are around, such as Huishan Mountain, Xuelang Mountain, Pengzu Dun, Xianli Dun and so on. These place names not only reflect the geographical characteristics of Wuxi by mountains and rivers, but also show the prosperity of Wuxi's landscape culture. The green mountains and green waters of Wuxi have attracted countless literati and inkers in history, leaving behind many famous works and places of interest. The beautiful natural environment of the landscape has not only bred generations of Wuxi people, but also created their cultural aesthetic tendencies, resulting in "people here are delicate in feelings, preferring elegance, exquisiteness, soothing and beautiful beauty". It can be said that the soft environment of mountains and warm waters has shaped the aesthetic concept of Wuxi people's elegance, tranquility and beauty. This cultural aesthetic is epitomized in Wuxi's exquisite garden art.
Jiangnan garden is an outstanding representative of classical Chinese gardens, and Wuxi gardens are cast with the essence of Jiangnan culture. Jichang Garden, Plum Garden, Li Garden, Jinyuan Garden, etc. are mostly private gardens, which fully reflect the exquisite and elegant characteristics of Wu culture. From the perspective of the naming of the garden, Taihu Villas, Huishan Garden, etc. rely on natural landscapes such as Taihu Lake and Huishan Mountain, reflecting the exquisite layout of integrating the garden and the landscape; The Jichang Garden highlights the poetry of "Sending Chang Landscape shade" and has the elegance of the literati who send love to the landscape; the Yunrui Garden reflects the hidden feelings of the literati. The name of Wuxi's garden highlights the aesthetic pursuit of Wudi literati, and this exquisite and elegant cultural spirit also flows in the blood of Wuxi people.
(2) The humanistic landscape in which nature and man are united
Unlike the Western view of language, the Han people regard language as a process of expression and interpretation in which a person participates, contemplates the human environment, and is dynamic in content. This view of language is obviously influenced by Chinese culture, which "does not perceive the world from the perspective of an individual, but from the all-round relationship between people and the world." In other words, man and the world no longer have a subject-guest distinction, but you have me and I have you. This is the "man-world" structure that is opposed to the "subject-object", and the unique humanistic spirit in Chinese culture lies in this.
There is also such a humanistic way of thinking in place names as cultural phenomena, and many place names in Wuxi reflect the cultural landscape of this area.
First of all, the beautiful scene of harmonious coexistence between man and nature is reflected in the place names of Wuxi. The public garden known as the "First Park of Huaxia" is the first park in China to insist on being open to the public free of charge, highlighting the wuxi people's desire for nature; the construction of ecological protection areas such as Changguangxi National Wetland Park, Gonghu Drinking Water Source Conservation Area, and Mashan Water Source Conservation Area reflects the strong ecological awareness of Wuxi people; the Yangshan Taohuayuan Eco-tourism Scenic Spot reflects the rational transformation of Nature by Wuxi people.
Secondly, the harmonious exchanges between people are also fully reflected in the place names of Wuxi. Traditional Chinese thought emphasizes "being kind to the people", and we must first love our relatives and parents before we can love others. Place names highlight the strong clan consciousness of the Wuxi people, who often name their territories after their surnames, such as Yanjia Trial Hall, Mo Zhaiduo, Rong Lane, Yang Lane and so on. At the same time, there are also cases of using place names as surnames, such as the "Wu" surname is derived from the establishment of the State of Wu by Tabor. On this basis, the concept of respecting teachers and respecting the sages and the saints further emphasizes the love of others in order to achieve harmony and unity among people. Wuxi place names also fully reflect the admiration for sages, such as TaiBoDu is to commemorate Taibo's contribution to Wudi; Taibo Tomb is the place where Taibo is sacrificed; and The Rhino Bridge is to commemorate Prince Zhaoming.
Finally, people's pursuit of self-worth is also reflected in wuxi place names. "Man is an interactive individual with the need for group survival and ethical and moral consciousness", that is to say, man cannot exist independently, he must integrate with all things in the world, and he must establish his own value in social relations, so benevolence, courtesy, tolerance... It is the supreme pursuit. Place names named after the morphemes of filial piety, virtue, benevolence, and etiquette, such as Huaxiaozi Ancestral Hall and Zhide Ancestral Hall, highlight the Wuxi people's pursuit of noble spiritual qualities such as benevolence, filial piety, and etiquette.
III. Conclusion
Place names are conventional linguistic symbols, and they are specific compared to other linguistic phenomena. At the same time, it will produce various changes with the development of society and history, reflecting the process of cultural change and integration. Therefore, place names are essentially a cultural phenomenon. The long history has bred Wuxi's profound cultural connotation, and from the place name, we can explore its geographical characteristics of mountains and rivers and the cultural landscape of Zhong Lingyuxiu. Combining the relevant theories of cultural linguistics to study the linguistic characteristics of Wuxi place names and their cultural connotations, to a certain extent, it can promote people's understanding of the cultural connotations contained in the linguistic phenomenon of place names, and help to have a deeper understanding of Wuxi's geographical topography, history and culture and social life.
Source: Chinese Character Culture, No. 15, 2021
Author: Zhu Shuwen Yang Hui
Draft: Geng Hitomi
Editor: Liu Yan
Proofreader: Chen Tingyu
Approval: Xu Province
Editor-in-charge: Wang Chenyun
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