Abstract:

An isthmus is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water. The Chinese name for isthmus was firstly expressed as “weidi”(微地), then as “xia”(峡), “weilu”(微路), “tuyao”(土腰), “tujing”(土颈), “xibo”(细脖) and so on, and finally as “dixia”(地峡). As a Japanese loanword, “dixia”(地峡) was firstly recorded in Yao Wendong’s translation Riben Dilibingyao (Military Geography of Japan) in Qing Dynasty, and afterward “dixia” became the Chinese standard term in geography.

Key words: isthmus, “weidi”, “xia”, “weilu”, “tuyao”, “tujing”