The Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia, the Yellow River, the second longest river in Asia, this river runs through the east and west, all originating from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, flowing through more than a dozen provinces, autonomous regions, and finally into the sea.
For this river and a river, we are all too familiar with it, living in the Yangtze River, the nature on both sides of the Yellow River needless to say, that is, do not live on both banks, at least have heard of it, even if you have not heard of it, countless movies and TV series will also see it, like what "Children of the Great River", "Yangtze River Ah Yangtze River" ... And so on; almost household names, everyone knows.
But are we really familiar with the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers?
Some people say, don't you talk nonsense, as long as it is simple common sense about the two of them, who does not know, who does not know?
I don't think so, for example: why is the Yangtze River called "river", why is the Yellow River called "river", and what is the difference between a river and a river?
It's simple... It's common sense...
However, how many people can know, how many people can know?
So, why is the Yangtze River called "River", why is the Yellow River called "River", and what is the difference between a river and a river?
Oh, there are currently three answers circulating in the "market", which can also be said to be three genres...
Let's analyze what these three schools say and whether it makes sense.
What is it: South River North River?
To put it in layman's terms: the south is called the river, and the north is the river.
At first glance, it seems that this is indeed the case: the Yellow River, the Jing River, the Wei River... It seems that it is indeed in the north of our country; and the Yangtze River, the Qiantang River, the Pearl River... Seems to be in the south...
So, is this statement correct?
I think: not true
Why?
Because Heilongjiang is in the north, why is it not called a river? And the Dadu River is in the south, why not call it a river?
The so-called "theory of entering the sea" means that whatever flows into the inland sea, such as the Bohai Sea, is called a river; on the contrary, what flows into the open sea, such as the East China Sea, is called a river.
This statement also seems to make some sense, such as the Yellow River, the Haihe River and the LiaoHe River, as if they are indeed rivers; and the Yangtze River, the Jinjiang River, and the Qiantang River all flow into the East China Sea.
So, is this statement correct?
I think: No.
Because the Xiangquan River and the Shiquan River both flow into the open sea: the Indian Ocean, while the Irtysh River in Xinjiang belongs to the Arctic Ocean.
What is: Water Quantity?
It is very simple, that is: the river with the largest water flow is the river, and the smaller water flow is the river.
This statement also seems quite reasonable: the Yellow River is often cut off because of its small amount of water, while the Yangtze River flows endlessly throughout the year and almost never stops flowing; for example, the Songhua River, which is turbulent and has a considerable amount of water.
It seems that the amount of water is still relatively reliable... Is that right?
I think: Still not right!
For example, the Lancang River is called the Lancang River in China, and it is called the Mekong River in Thailand.
Could it be that the water of the Lancang River becomes smaller in Thailand?
Obviously counterintuitive.
At this point, some people may not be able to hold back:
Since this is not right, it is also inappropriate, so what do you say?
Not to mention, I really have my own opinion:
What is: The Origin of Time in Words?
It's simple: the word "river" appears later than the word "river". (The word "river" first appeared in the Six Dynasties, while "river" appeared in the pre-Qin period.)
That is to say: when the Ancestors of China discovered the Yellow River, the word "River" had not yet appeared, only the "River" character representing "singing by the water's edge" (the word "River" consisted of a waterside and a "can" word, which represented water, and "can" was an instrument played by an ancient man when pursuing a woman, which was extended to the meaning of singing, so the original meaning of "river" was: sitting by the water and singing; it means beautiful meaning. Therefore, the "river" that symbolizes beauty is given to the yellow river that can also bring them sufficient water and bring them a beautiful yellow river; as the "yellow" character of the Yellow River, as the name suggests: the Yellow River has a lot of cement and sand, and it is yellow.
Later, when the Chinese civilization developed near the Yangtze River, when it saw that the water of the Yangtze River was larger than the water of the Yellow River, it was even more turbulent, and when it was ready to be named, it was worried:
"Can't you still use the river?"
Thinking about it, according to the huge "gonggong" sound made by the yangtze river water slapping on the shore, he replaced the "ke" of the word "river" with the word "gong", and thus the word "river" was born, which means that it is larger and wider than the river.
The word is there, but how to call it?
It can't be called "river".
The first person to discover the Yangtze River was surnamed Jiang, so he simply called "Jiang" "Jiang".
Because the Yangtze River is very long, it seems that there is no end, so it has become the "Yangtze River" after that.
Summary: Chinese culture, broad and profound, inexhaustible learning, inexhaustible thinking!
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