A recent social media post questioned the spelling of “Shaanxi” on a sign at the Shaanxi History Museum, with many netizens puzzled over the seemingly extra “a.” They expected it to be “Shanxi,” as per standard pinyin. However, the double “a” is not a mistake—it’s intentional and serves an important purpose.
The Official Spelling: Shaanxi vs. Shanxi
On August 30, the museum confirmed that “Shaanxi” is indeed the correctand officialromanization for the province. The additional “a” exists solely to differentiate it from its neighboring province, Shanxi, which is spelled the same in standard pinyin but pronounced differently. Without this distinction, the two names would be identical in writing, leading to confusion.
How the Distinction Was Created
To solve this issue, linguists turned to an outdated but practical system: the Guoyu Luomazi (National Pronunciation Romanization). This method used letter modifications to indicate Mandarin tones when diacritics weren’t available. The rules were simple:
- First tone (e.g., “Shanxi”) → No change (spelled as “Shan”).
- Second tone → Add an “r” after the vowel.
- Third tone (e.g., “Shaanxi”) → Double the main vowel (here, ‘a’ becomes ‘aa’).
- Fourth tone → Add an “h” after the vowel.
Since the character ”陕” (Shǎn, third tone) requires a tone distinction, its romanization becomes ”Shaan” (with a doubled ‘a’). Meanwhile, ”山” (Shān, first tone) remains ”Shan.”
Where You’ll See “Shaanxi”
This spelling is state-approved and used in official contexts, including:
- The Shaanxi Provincial Government
- Shaanxi Daily’s website
- Public signage (such as “Shaanxi South Road” in Shanghai)
- The Shaanxi History Museum
In cases where tone marks are possible (like phonetic transcriptions), the standard spelling is ”Shǎnxi” (with the tone diacritic) without the extra “a.”
Conclusion
So, the next time you see “Shaanxi,” remember—it’s not a typo. It’s a carefully designed distinction to avoid confusion with Shanxi, ensuring clarity in written Chinese when tones aren’t visible.
