Translating a non-Chinese toponym into a Chinese exonym is a complex task, given the high number of homophones in Chinese, the existence of multiple conventions for translation, and differences in the phonetic systems between the source language and Chinese. Generally, Chinese exonyms fall into three categories: Phonetic transcriptions, for similarity of sound without regard for the meaning of the Chinese characters.
Translating a non-Chinese toponym into a Chinese exonym is a complex task, given the high number of homophones in Chinese, the existence of multiple conventions for translation, and differences in the phonetic systems between the source language and Chinese. Generally, Chinese exonyms fall into three categories: Phonetic transcriptions, for similarity of sound without regard for the meaning of the Chinese characters.
Source: Wikipedia "Chinese exonyms" · CC BY-SA 4.0
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