Abstract:

A lot of Western geographic terms were translated into Chinese via Haiguotuzhi, and these translated terms were featured with national characteristics in terms of pronunciation, lexis and cultural connotation. As far as the naming of Western geographic terms in Chinese is concerned, the Sinicizing of Western geographic terms can be categorized into two types: one is to adopt traditional Chinese terms, and the other is to create new terms with Chinese prefixes and suffixes. Therefore, these nationalized geographic terms, as the carrier of modern geographic knowledge, not only promoted the acceptation and popularity of modern geographic knowledge in Late Ching China, but also facilitated the modernization of China’s traditional geography.

Key words: Haiguotuzhi, geographic terms, translated terms, nationalize