祁連

See also: 祁连

Chinese

		surname	even; as; to join even; as; to join; to link; successively
trad. (祁連)		祁	連
simp. (祁连)		祁	连

Etymology

Qilian is said to be as a Xiongnu word meaning "sky" according to Yan Shigu, a Tang Dynasty commentator on the Hanshu.

祁連山即天山也，匈奴呼天為祁連 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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祁连山即天山也，匈奴呼天为祁连 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Han, circa 1^st century CE

Qílián Shān jí tiānshān yě, Xiōngnú hū tiān wèi qílián [Pinyin]

Qilian Mountain means 'Sky Mountain', the Xiongnu called the sky 'qilian'

Further etymology uncertain:

• Chen (1998) proposes cognation with 天 (OC *hlin) and 赫連 (OC *khak-lian), transcriptions of a Xiongnu word for "sky", which he also relates to 昊天 (OC *g'ôg-hlin);
• Schuessler (2014) objects to Yan Shigu's statement that 祁連 was a Xiongnu word; he reconstructs 祁連's pronunciation around 121 BCE as *gɨ-lian and thinks that 乾 (OC *gran) (> QYS *gjän) "looks like the same etymon".

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Qílián

  (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧˊ ㄌㄧㄢˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): kei⁴ lin⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Qílián
    • Zhuyin: ㄑㄧˊ ㄌㄧㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Cílián
    • Wade–Giles: Chʻi²-lien²
    • Yale: Chí-lyán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Chyilian
    • Palladius: Цилянь (Ciljanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰi³⁵ li̯ɛn³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: kei⁴ lin⁴
    • Yale: kèih lìhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: kei⁴ lin⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: kéi⁴ lin⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰei̯²¹ liːn²¹/

Proper noun

祁連

1. (～山) Qilian Mountains
2. (～縣) Qilian (a county of Haibei, Qinghai, China)

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