Paektu

English

Alternative forms

• Baekdu

Etymology

From Korean 백두(白頭) (Baekdu).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pækˈtuː/, /pɛkˈtuː/

Proper noun

Paektu

1. A mountain on the border between Jilin, China and Ryanggang Province, North Korea.
   • 2000, Donald N. Clark, “The Story of the Korean People”, in Culture and Customs of Korea‎^[1], →ISBN, →ISSN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 6:

     The land border is 636 miles long (1,025 km), most of it with China but the last 11 miles of it at the eastern end, with Russia. The border follows two rivers, the westward-flowing Yalu and the east-flowing Tumen, both of which arise from springs on the slopes of Mount Paektu, the sacred peak that is part of the "Ever-white Mountains" on the northeastern border.

   • 2008, Robert Willoughby, “Mt Paektu”, in North Korea (Bradt Travel Guides)‎^[2], 2nd edition, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 197:

     The Tuman and Yalu rivers dividing Korea and China source from one mountain, Mt Paektu. This volcanic mass of frozen lava smashed out from the wide, elevated planes of dense forest and bogs surrounding it over a million years ago, and has a powerful spiritual symbolism for the Korean people, as indicated in the local tourist literature:[...]Paektu is the backdrop for many of the almighty mosaics and paintings seen across Korea, and its significance for all Koreans is evinced by the dominance of South Koreans in the thriving tourist industry on the Chinese side of the mountain.

   • 2017, Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea‎^[3], Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House, →ISBN, →OCLC, pages 36–37:

     Article 169. The national emblem of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea bears the design of a grand hydroelectric power station under Mt. Paektu, the sacred mountain of the revolution, and the beaming light of a five-pointed red star, with ears of rice forming an oval frame, bound with a red ribbon bearing the inscription “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:Paektu.

Synonyms

• (from Mandarin Chinese) Baitou, Changbai, Ch'ang-pai

Translations

mountain

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 长白山 (zh) (Chángbáishán), 白头山 (zh) (Báitóushán)

• Japanese: 長白山 (ちょうはくさん, Chōhakusan), 白頭山 (はくとうさん, Hakutōsan)
• Korean: 백두산(白頭山) (ko) (Baekdusan), 장백산(長白山) (Jangbaeksan)
• Manchu: ᡤᠣᠯᠮᡳᠨ
  ᡧᠠᠨᠶᠠᠨ
  ᠠᠯᡳᠨ (golmin šanyan alin), ᡤᠣᠯᠮᡳᠨ
  ᡧᠠᠩᡤᡳᠶᠠᠨ
  ᠠᠯᡳᠨ (golmin šanggiyan alin), ᡧᠠᠨᠶᠠᠨ
  ᠠᠯᡳᠨ (šanyan alin), ᡧᠠᠩᡤᡳᠶᠠᠨ
  ᠠᠯᡳᠨ (šanggiyan alin)

Further reading

• Paektu, Baekdu at the Google Books Ngram Viewer.
• Saul B. Cohen, editor (1998), “Paektu, Mount”, in The Columbia Gazetteer of the World‎^[4], volume 3, New York: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 2335, column 2: “Also called White Head Mt.; Changbaik^{[sic – meaning Changbai]} Mt.”