Xishuangbanna

Xi·shuang·ban·na
X8I1S1H4U1A1N1G2B3A1N1N1A1
/ˌʃiːʃwɑŋbɑnˈnɑː/

proper noun

An autonomous prefecture of Yunnan, China.

UncommonScrabble 26

Meanings

proper noun

alternative Hsishuangpanna · alternative Hsi-shuang-pan-na

  1. An autonomous prefecture of Yunnan, China.

    A herd then consisting of 16 elephants left their home in Xishuangbanna 300 km further south in March last year and eventually settled in a protected habitat in Puer.

    2021 August 9, David Stanway, “China's wild elephants head to safety after long trek”, in Tom Hogue, editor, Reuters, archived from the original on 10 Aug 2021
    2 more examples

    After a drive of nearly ten hours, through small villages of thatched houses built on stilts, we stop on the last hairpin bend halfway down the mountain. Below, brilliant green and glistening wet, lies Xishuangbanna, in China’s southernmost valley.

    To China and Back

    1980 [1978], Jan Bredsdorff, translated by Alice Roughton, Revolution tur/retur [To China and Back], New York: Pantheon Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 164–165

    In Jinghong, the capital of Xishuangbanna Prefecture (pronounced she-shwang-ban-na), a cavalcade of bronze and stone elephant statues — some ferocious looking, others positively giddy — have been mounted on traffic islands and in front of new Thai-style shopping malls.

    2014 April 25, Andrew Jacobs, “In Land That Values Ivory, Wild Elephants Find a Safe Haven”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 Apr 2014, Asia Pacific

    Synonyms: Sibsongpanna, Mong Ri Mong Ram, Mungrimungram

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounAn autonomous prefecture of Yunnan, China.

Origin

  1. khb᧑᧒ᦗᧃᦓᦱ
  2. Mandarin西雙版納 /西双版纳
  3. EnglishXishuangbanna

Borrowed from the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 西雙版納 /西双版纳 (Xīshuāngbǎnnà), from Lü ᧑᧒ᦗᧃᦓᦱ (12pannaa) or ᦉᦲᧇᦉᦸᧂᦗᧃᦓᦱ (ṡiibṡoangpannaa) meaning twelve townships of rice-fields.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 西雙版納 /西双版纳
  • 西雙版納 /西双版纳 (sai¹ soeng¹ baan² naap⁶)autonomous prefecture
Chinese Mandarin 西雙版納 /西双版纳
  • 西雙版納 /西双版纳 (Xīshuāngbǎnnà)autonomous prefecture
Thai สิบสองปันนา
  • สิบสองปันนา (sìp-sɔ̌ɔng-bpan-naa)autonomous prefecture
Vietnamese Tây Song Bản Nạp
  • Tây Song Bản Nạpautonomous prefecture
Cite this entry
APA

Xishuangbanna. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Xishuangbanna

MLA

“Xishuangbanna.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Xishuangbanna. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Xishuangbanna,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Xishuangbanna.

Source: Xishuangbanna on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.