xian

plural xians · alternative hsien

1. ChinaTaiwanAn administrative subdivision of imperial, republican, and communist China roughly equivalent to counties, now distinguished from the more urban "districts" (qu). (Alternative form of hsien for Taiwan (ROC).)

   At the time of the elections (1980) Nanjing was subdivided into three suburban counties (xian) and nine urban districts (qu).

   1990, Barrett L. McCormick, “Elections to Local People's Congresses”, in Political Reform in Post-Mao China: Democracy and Bureaucracy in a Leninist State, University of California Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 138

   2 more examples

   Tight and dense motifs occur on bronzes excavated in 1923 from a tomb at Lijialou at Xinzheng Xian in southern Henan attributed to the small state of Zheng.

   1987, Jessica Rawson, “The Eastern Zhou Period”, in Chinese Bronzes: Art and Ritual, British Museum Publications, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 47

   The Henan Mongol autonomous county (xian) is inhabited by Tsoros Mongols, and there are Ööld Mongols in the Huzhu autonomous county.

   2017, Alan J. K. Sanders, Historical Dictionary of Mongolia, 4th edition, volume I, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 700, page 274

   Synonyms: county

plural xians

1. alternativederogatoryoffensivesometimesAlternative form of Xian: Christian.

1. alternativederogatorynot comparableoffensivesometimesAlternative form of Xian: Christian.

   But what an epoch in the xian world—what a time for a xian Orator to make a deep & eternal impression on socity^([sic]).

   1993, Mary Moody Emerson, edited by Nancy Craig Simmons, The Selected Letters of Mary Moody Emerson, Athens: University of Georgia Press, page 242

comparative more xian · superlative most xian

1. SingaporeSinglishalternativeAlternative spelling of sian (“bored, boring”).

1. alternativeproscribedsometimesAlternative spelling of Xi'an.

   Lien Chan had a PhD from the University of Chicago and was the heir to a vast family fortune. Born in Xian, China, in the 1940s, he never developed a feel for Taiwan’s common people.

   2014, Lu Hsiu-lien, Ashley Esarey, My Fight for a New Taiwan, University of Washington Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 266

   5 more examples

   "Archeologists drew almost a complete blank in their search of the inner tomb," the official New China News Agency said Saturday in a report of excavations at the tomb site, thought to be between 2,200 and 2,800 years old. The site is in Fengxiang County of Shaanxi Province, about 90 miles west of the ancient Yellow River capital of Xian.

   1986 June 16, “CHINESE TOMB FOUND TO BE VICTIM OF GRAVE ROBBERS”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 May 2015, B, page 10

   Next came several more days of sightseeing that included a few opportunities to observe the changes going on in China, as well as a fascinating look into its past. We flew to Xian, the ancient capital of China, then drove almost ninety minutes to the tomb of China's first emperor and the site where archaeologists had unearthed hundreds of life-size terra-cotta figures of soldiers standing in ranks, complete with horses and chariots, to guard the tomb. "They know there are more than 7,000 [terra-cotta soldiers] that haven't been uncovered yet," I wrote that evening in my diary: "It is an unforgettable experience. This—plus the drive past villages surrounded by endless wheat fields dotted here and there with burial mounds and relics of China's ancient past—made for a day we'll long remember."

   1990, Ronald Reagan, An American Life, Pocket Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 371

   A fervent believer in an afterlife, Qin Shihuang ordered his tomb to be guarded by 8,000 terra-cotta statues. This grandiose resting place was accidentally disinterred in 1976 by farmers digging a well in the ancient capital, Xian, during a drought. Dr. Huang broached the idea of a terra-cotta exhibit on a trip to Shanxi Province, where Xian is located, three years ago.

   2000 December 6, Mark Landler, “Could Terra-Cotta Warriors Be a Trojan Horse?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 19 Mar 2023, World, page 2

   3. One reason for the growth and success of ninth-century cities like Baghdad, Constantinople and Ch'ang-an (Xian) was that they . . . a. were part of the Roman Empire b. tolerated religious diversity c. traded only with people from their immediate region d. were located on major trade routes

   2003 April 13, New York Board of Regents, quotee, “Pop Quiz; Third Rock From the Sun”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 Apr 2009, EDUCATION

   According to the 2000 Census for Shaanxi province, Hu county near the provincial capital of Xian municipality has over 250,000 residents, while the geographically larger, but more remote Ganquan county has only 30,000.

   2010, John James Kennedy, “Rural China: Reform and Resistance”, in William A. Joseph, editor, Politics in China: An Introduction, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 227

plural Xians

1. A surname from Chinese.

plural Xians · alternative xian · alternative Xtian

1. abbreviationderogatoryoffensivesometimesAbbreviation of Christian.

alternative xian · alternative Xtian

1. abbreviationderogatorynot comparableoffensivesometimesAbbreviation of Christian.