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太平洋

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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Chinese

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More information ocean; foreign ...
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Etymology

Originates from the translation of the term "Pacific Ocean," which was named by European explorers. "Pacific Ocean" was coined by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520. When Magellan reached the ocean, he called it Mar Pacífico in Portuguese, meaning "peaceful sea," because of its calm waters compared to the stormy Atlantic crossing.

When Western geographic terms were introduced to China, translators sought to convey the essence of "Pacific Ocean" in Chinese. They chose 太平 (Tàipíng) to represent "pacific" or "peaceful" and 洋 (yáng) as a general term for "ocean" or "sea."

Pronunciation


Proper noun

太平洋

  1. the Pacific Ocean

Derived terms

See also

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Vietnamese

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