苑裡, 通霄,Yuanli, Tongxiao: various Aboriginal-originated names, Miaoli County

Continuing from the previous post ( 卓蘭 Zhuolan) which traced the process by which the Pazih name Tarien meaning “beautiful open-country”became the Chinese Zhuolan meaning "eminent orchid", here are some more examples from Miaoli County (苗栗縣):

[Hakka or Hoklo pronunciations are given when they seem appropriate; anyone with academic historically-accurate versions, please do comment.]

Miaoli (苗栗) as noted already (here), lit. “seedling chestnut”), evolved from the Taokas aboriginal name Bari meaning “plain", through Chinese name 貓貍 (meu-li in Hakka pronunciation) meaning "cat fox-like animal”, to today's 苗栗(miao-li in Mandarin), meaning "seedling chestnut".

Yuanli (苑裡; lit. “garden + inside”) Township
Transliterated from the Taokas aborigine name Wanrie (though Abe suggests 彎里 [Hoklo: Oan-li] was perhaps contracted from earlier 里灣里; Li-oan-li). Similarly pronounced alternatives such as 宛里 and苑裏 are also recorded, before 苑裡 became standard.

Tongxiao (通霄; lit. “unobstructed clouds”)
Taokas aboriginal community Tonsuyan, due to its deep waters of Nanshi River (南勢溪) where mercantile boats could moor, became a center of trade for local produce from Tongluo (銅鑼), Sanyi (三義), Miaoli (苗栗) &c.

Availing of the pun “swallow and sell” (吞銷; Hakka: tun-seu or Hoklo: thun-siau); with the second character changed to霄 (“clouds”; Hakka: seu/siau; Hoklo: siau), the aboriginal name was transliterated as 吞霄 (tun-siau, “swallow clouds”).

By the end of the Qing dynasty (1895), the similarly pronounced 通霄 (tung-siau [both languages]; “unobstructed clouds”) had sometimes also been used, and in 1901(4?) during Japanese rule this became the standard, as it seemed to fit the high mountains poking through the clouds.


[to be continued here and again later]