世界
How Cantonese named the rest of the world — and what those names literally say.
The flower-flag country
A dead name for America that is still alive inside a bank and a bottle of ginseng.
美英德法The flattery canon
Beautiful, heroic, virtuous, lawful — the great powers all got flattering names. The truth is duller and better.
蘭 laan4The orchid belt
An accident of transcription turned half of Europe botanical, and then hardened into a rule.
雪梨 · 悉尼Two names for one city
Which name you use for Sydney says where you're from. So does how you say Beckham.
楓丹白露 · 翡冷翠When transliteration became poetry
Two place names that stopped trying to be accurate and went for beautiful instead.
Notes from the collection
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