Chungking

English

Map including CH'UNG-CH'ING (CHUNGKING) (PA-HSIEN)

Etymology

From the Postal Romanization of the Nanking court dialect Mandarin 重慶 / 重庆 (Chóngqìng), from before the modern palatalization of /k/ to /tɕ/.

Pronunciation

• enPR: cho͝ongʹkǐngʹ

Proper noun

Chungking

1. Alternative form of Chongqing
   • 1669, John Nievhoff, translated by John Ogilby, An Embassy from the Eaſt-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperour of China‎^[2], London: John Macock, page 250:

     In the Province of Suchue, near to Chungking, grow certain Flowers called Meutang, in high eſteem amongſt them, and therefore called the King of Flowers.

   • 1881, Sixty-Fifth Annual Report of the American Bible Society‎^[3], New York, page 122:

     From there, taking native boats he pressed still further up 358 miles to Chungking, in the province of Szechuen, arriving there on the 13th of May. A very interesting journey by land to Paoning Fu, over 300 miles northwest of Chungking, via Chiu Hsien, both going and returning, occupied him to the 14th of June.

   • 1942 February 23, Franklin Roosevelt, 34:10 from the start, in Fireside Chat 20: On the Progress of the War‎^[4], Miller Center:

     The great Chinese people have suffered grievous losses; Chungking has been almost wiped out of existence – yet it remains the capital of an unbeatable China.

   • 1942, Elizabeth Foreman Lewis, When the Typhoon Blows‎^[5], The John Winston Company, →OCLC, page 208:

     Although both physicians were connected with official commissions, they were unable to get three passages on a river steamer for another half month. This boat, going only midway to Chungking, would land them at Ichang. There they would have to find further accommodations on some vessel specially constructed to negotiate Upper Yangtze rapids and whirlpools.

   • 1943, Hubert Freyn, Free China's New Deal‎^[6], New York: Macmillan Company, →OCLC, page 6:

     Chungking became the wartime capital of Free China, and Szechwan, that vast, barely accessible province hidden behind steep mountain ranges, became the country’s wartime base.

   • 1968, Kwang-chih Chang, The Archaeology of Ancient China‎^[7], Yale University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 51:

     Then, in 1941, decision was reached between the Chungking and American authorities to transport these fossils to the United States for safekeeping, and they were crated and moved to a warehouse in Ch’in-huang-tao, a small port city northeast of Peking, into the custody of the U.S. Marines.

   • 1974, Timothy A. Ross, Chiang Kuei‎^[8], New York: Twayne Publishers, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 59:

     Tseng Shao-hua had taken Yen Hsüeh-mei on his back out to the boat which carried her safely back to Chungking.

   • 1980 May 4, “International exchange to enhance film awards ceremony”, in Free China Weekly‎^[9], volume XXI, number 17, Taipei, page 2:

     The film begins with the Russians holding a confidential meeting with their ambassador at Pipashan in Chungking.

   • 1981, Hualing Nieh Engle, translated by Jane Parish Yang and Linda Lappin, Mulberry and Peach: Two Women of China‎^[10], Boston: Beacon Press, published 1988, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 16:

     She said, ' Chungking, it's huge city. The centre of the Resistance! What are you scared about? The hostel for refugee students will take care of our food, housing, school and a job. You can do whatever you want.'

   • 1997, Carolle J. Carter, Mission to Yenan: American Liaison with the Chinese Communists‎^[11], →ISBN, →OCLC, page 5:

     The 1937-1938 phase of the Sino-Japanese war is often called the "special undeclared war." It followed the surrender of Shanghai, when the national government moved to Chungking.

   • 2000, John C. Culver, John Hyde, American Dreamer: The Life and Times of Henry A. Wallace‎^[12], W. W. Norton & Co., →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 334:

     The Wallace party reached Chungking, seat of the Nationalist Chinese government, on June 20.

   • 2019, Bob Bergin, “Three Amateur Spies and the Intelligence Organization They Created in Occupied WWII Indochina”, in Studies in Intelligence‎^[13], volume 63, number 1, CIA, page 19:

     In Gordon's absence, Fenn helped Bernard set up the new base at Kunming. Gordon's talks with General Wedemeyer in Chungking had led to an investigation of Gordon's complaints; GBT's situation improved, temporarily, and the GBT settled in Kunming.

Further reading

• “Chungking”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “Chungking, pn.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “Chungking”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “Chungking” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.