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南洋

Nányáng
popculture #47,455

Meanings

  1. 1 Nanyang; the South Seas; Southeast Asia (from a Chinese perspective)

Examples

他的祖父下南洋谋生。
Tā de zǔfù xià Nányáng móushēng.
His grandfather went down to Nanyang to make a living.
南洋华人保留了很多传统文化。
Nányáng huárén bǎoliú le hěn duō chuántǒng wénhuà.
Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia have preserved a lot of traditional culture.

Tips

history
下南洋 ("going down to Nanyang") refers to the massive wave of Chinese migration — primarily from Fujian and Guangdong — to Southeast Asia from the late Qing through the Republican era, driven by poverty, war, and opportunity. It forms one of the three great historical migrations in Chinese history alongside 闯关东 and 走西口.
culture
From a Chinese perspective the seas were named by direction: 南洋 (the south, SEA), 东洋 (the east, Japan), 西洋 (the west, Europe/Americas). 南洋华人 today refers to ethnic Chinese communities in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, etc.

Stroke Order

南 nán
洋 yáng