Meanings
Nanchang1
alternative obsolete Nancham · alternative obsolete Nan-tchang · alternative Nan-ch'ang · alternative Nanch'ang
- A prefecture-level city, the provincial capital of Jiangxi, China.
From Cancheu to Nanchang the Country is exceedingly beautiful, fruitful, and populous.
1703 February 10, Father De Chavagnac, “Father De Chavagnac, to Father Le Gobien”, in Tavels of the Jesuits, Footcheoo-foo, page 3025 more examples
But whilſt he was beſieging this City, there came, unfortunately, a new Army of Tartars from the Imperiall City of Peking , which had order to recover this Province of Kiangſi; and therefore Kinus was forced to raiſe his Siege to oppoſe their entrance by the Northern parts of the Country; And at firſt having a vaſt Army, and uſed to the Tartarian warfare, he fought both valiantly and happily; but not being able to ſuſtain any longer their redoubled violent aſſaults, he was forced to retire for his ſecurity to Nanchang, the chief City of that County; which City the Tartars durſt not venture to take by force, but reſolved to reduce it by a long Siege; for which end they gathered together a Company of Country Clowns to make a large and ſpacious Trench round about the City to the River, and there they placed Ships ſo as no Proviſion could poſſibly enter. This City of Nanchang is great and extremely full of inhabitants, beſides the multitude of Souldiers which defended it at that time; ſo as although Kinus had made great Proviſion for a Siege, yet after ſome moneths he came to great want and pennury; and yet he held it out though many dyed, expecting ſtil some ſuccours from the Emperor Fungley, which could not be sent;
1655, F. Alvarez Semedo, “Bellum Tartaricum”, in The History of That Great and Renowned Monarchy of China, E. Tyler, page 290The next day, being the 23. of April, we came in ſight of the firſt chief City of Nanchang, which is alſo called by ſome according to the name of the Province Kiangſi, where this is ſituated.
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, London: John Macock, page 67Kiangſi is divided into thirteen Countries, containing 67 Cities ; the chief whereof is Nanchang , once the Metropolis of the Empire : Iaocheu, Quansin, Kicukiang, Kienchang, Linkiang, Kiegan, Kancheu, are other chief Cities.
1693, Robert Morden, “Of China”, in Geography Rectified; or a Description of the World, 3rd edition, page 440On the 31st of July he arrived at Kiukiang, and in August, in company with the Rev. C. V. Hart, Superintendent of the Methodist Episcopal Mission, visited Nanchang, the capital of Kiangsi, which had been entered by Protestant missionaries but twice before, and in two days he sold 300 Portions.
1881, Sixty-Fifth Annual Report of the American Bible Society, New York, page 122The rows of towering buildings crowding the banks of the Gan River are a testament to the real estate boom that transformed Nanchang in eastern China from a gritty manufacturing hub to a modern urban center.[…] As China’s economy prospered the last two decades, Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, erected sweeping apartment complexes and gleaming office towers to meet the increasing demand for homes and workplaces.
2023 May 25, Daisuke Wakabayashi, Claire Fu, “Once a Symbol of China’s Growth, Now a Sign of a Housing Crisis”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 25 May 2023
Nanchang2
- alternativeAlternative form of Nanzhang.
Nanchang County Chemical Fertilizer Plant produced 1,547 tons of nitrogenous fertilizer in July, a record month.
1978 November 15 [1978 October 10], “Industrial Production in Hupeh”, in Translations on People's Republic of China, number 467, United States Joint Publications Research Service, sourced from Wuhan Hupeh Provincial Service, translation of original in Mandarin, Economic, page 572 more examples
Another representative, from Nanchang county, said: "Our worker brothers work harder than we do, and are genuinely meritorious. We must learn from them."
1965 April 8 [1965 March 29], “HUPEH PEASANTS' MEETING”, in Daily Report: Foreign Radio Broadcasts, number 67, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, sourced from Wuhan Domestic, translation of original in Mandarin, →OCLC, Communist China: Regional Affairs, page DDD 8Leading members of Nanchang County CCP Committee have seriously studied the Marxist theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat in connection with the actual situation in the current class and line struggles.
1975, Study of Proletarian Dictatorship in a Hupeh County (Summary of World Broadcasts: Far East), volume 3, British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring Service, →ISSN, →OCLC
Origin
Nanchang · proper noun
- Mandarin南昌“Southern Prosperity”
- EnglishNanchang
c. 1600s, from the Mandarin 南昌 (Nánchāng, “Southern Prosperity”).
More words from Mandarin
Full word history & related roots →Nanchang · proper noun
- Mandarin南漳
- EnglishNanchang
From the Mandarin 南漳 (Nánzhāng).
More words from Mandarin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic نَانْتْشَانْغ
- نَانْتْشَانْغ (nantšānḡ)a city in southeastern China
Chinese Cantonese 南昌
- 南昌 (naam⁴ coeng¹)a city in southeastern China
Chinese Mandarin 南昌
- 南昌 (Nánchāng)a city in southeastern China
Hindi नानचांग
- नानचांग (nāncāṅg)a city in southeastern China
Hungarian Nancsang
- Nancsanga city in southeastern China
Japanese 南昌
- 南昌 (Nanshō)a city in southeastern China
Korean 난창, 남창
- 난창a city in southeastern China
- 남창 (Namchang)a city in southeastern China
Russian Наньча́н, Ганьцзя́н
- Наньча́н (Nanʹčán)a city in southeastern China
- Ганьцзя́н (Ganʹczján)a city in southeastern China
Vietnamese Nam Xương
- Nam Xươnga city in southeastern China
Cite this entry
Nanchang. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nanchang
“Nanchang.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nanchang. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Nanchang,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nanchang.
Source: Nanchang on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.