<p>the internet archive has a copy of the book "the city of springs: or, mission work in chinchew", which is published in the year 1902:</p>

<p><a href="https://archive.org/details/princeton_theological_seminary_3720_0539" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://archive.org/details/princeton_theological_seminary_3720_0539</a></p>

<p>on page 25, it stated:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The name Chinchew, now so familiar to us, is merely an anglicised 
  form of Tsuien-chow, being the northern or mandarin pronunciation 
  of the name. In the Amoy language it is pronounced Tsoan- 
  chiu. Tsoan — spring or fountain, and chiu — a city whose resident 
  mandarin ranks as a prefect. The whole may be translated City of 
  Springs.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Iowp4.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Iowp4.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>it's an very interesting book, with numerous illustrations, have a read if you're not in that "area". well, internet archive is blocked in . . . :(</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-18T04:42:45.203Z
2017-03-18T04:42:45.203Z
水巷孑蠻
<p><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B3%89%E5%B7%9E%E5%B8%82" rel="noreferrer">泉州，簡稱泉或鯉，又稱刺桐城、清源、溫陵。</a>
Although 清 can be transliterated as chin, it does not seem to be the reason.</p>

<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanzhou" rel="noreferrer">Quanzhou, formerly known as Chinchew.</a><br>
The Postal Map name of the city was (note: should be "is") "Chinchew", a variant of Chincheo, <strong>the Portuguese and Spanish transcription of Chiāng-chiu</strong>.<br>
It is uncertain when or why British sailors first applied the name to Quanzhou. Variants include Kangiu, Chinchu, and Chincheu.</p>

<p>所以，Chinchew 是從葡萄牙語、西班牙語的 Chiāng-chiu 轉譯而來。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-18T11:20:06.980Z
More precisely, it probably stems from the Quanzhou pronunciation of Zhangzhou, which, according to [the Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/漳州), is "Tsing-tsiu".
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-18T11:34:16.190Z
Looked up Zhangzhou because the Wiki page you linked (the English one) mentioned Zhangzhou as "the major port trading with Macao and Manila in the 16th and 17 centuries".
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-18T13:14:11.323Z
So, Chinchew was used by 漳州 first, and then "stolen or robbed" by 泉州 till today. 漳州 became Changchow first, and then Zhangzhou. Very interesting.
vuluvsa
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-18T04:39:28.450Z
2017-03-18T04:39:28.450Z
vuluvsa
<p>There is this Chinese city called 泉州. Mandarin: Quánzhōu. Cantonese: Cyun4-zau1. Hakka: Chhièn-chû. Min Nan: Chôan-chiu. <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%B3%89%E5%B7%9E" rel="noreferrer">Pronunciations found here</a>. Wikipedia adds a local Hokkien: Chôa<sup>n</sup>-chiu. <a href="http://www.mogher.com/dic/search/%E6%B3%89%E5%B7%9E" rel="noreferrer">Here</a> I get Teochew: Zuan5-ziu1. Couldn't find Min Dong or Gan or other dialects, but those shouldn't matter. Postal romanization: Chinchew. Now, "chew" obviously renders the "chiu" of Min Nan and/or "ziu" of Teochew. But where did that "chin" come from? Is the postal romanisation a weird hybrid of a misheard Cantonese "cyun" (misheard as *cin and spelled chin consequently) and a correctly heard Min Nan / Teochew "ciu"/"ziu" or is there more to this?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-18T04:33:29.310Z
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_postal_romanization says
    Local dialect may be used:  Chinchew (Quanzhou), you probably need to look at 泉州话 http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=Org1c0LujgzEmHAR8fjXV_kSZR_xpeFJeosg991WFv-nMpc7aijCy5crkFeUmtRpuYfIEvUUEFKiWHgsFW4zHgmUhevd7bssEcsYWZAapUYCyJfC0yp3kAAcESkbBZbR
Mou某
<pronunciation><romanization>
Where did "Chinchew" come from?
# Where did "Chinchew" come from?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-03-17)

There is this Chinese city called 泉州. Mandarin: Quánzhōu. Cantonese: Cyun4-zau1. Hakka: Chhièn-chû. Min Nan: Chôan-chiu. [Pronunciations found here](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%B3%89%E5%B7%9E). Wikipedia adds a local Hokkien: Chôan-chiu. [Here](http://www.mogher.com/dic/search/%E6%B3%89%E5%B7%9E) I get Teochew: Zuan5-ziu1. Couldn't find Min Dong or Gan or other dialects, but those shouldn't matter. Postal romanization: Chinchew. Now, "chew" obviously renders the "chiu" of Min Nan and/or "ziu" of Teochew. But where did that "chin" come from? Is the postal romanisation a weird hybrid of a misheard Cantonese "cyun" (misheard as \*cin and spelled chin consequently) and a correctly heard Min Nan / Teochew "ciu"/"ziu" or is there more to this?

**Tags:** pronunciation, romanization

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_postal_romanization says     Local dialect may be used:  Chinchew (Quanzhou), you probably need to look at 泉州话 http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=Org1c0LujgzEmHAR8fjXV_kSZR_xpeFJeosg991WFv-nMpc7aijCy5crkFeUmtRpuYfIEvUUEFKiWHgsFW4zHgmUhevd7bssEcsYWZAapUYCyJfC0yp3kAAcESkbBZbR  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-03-18. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

[泉州，簡稱泉或鯉，又稱刺桐城、清源、溫陵。](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B3%89%E5%B7%9E%E5%B8%82)
Although 清 can be transliterated as chin, it does not seem to be the reason.

[Quanzhou, formerly known as Chinchew.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanzhou)  
The Postal Map name of the city was (note: should be "is") "Chinchew", a variant of Chincheo, **the Portuguese and Spanish transcription of Chiāng-chiu**.  
It is uncertain when or why British sailors first applied the name to Quanzhou. Variants include Kangiu, Chinchu, and Chincheu.

所以，Chinchew 是從葡萄牙語、西班牙語的 Chiāng-chiu 轉譯而來。

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: More precisely, it probably stems from the Quanzhou pronunciation of Zhangzhou, which, according to [the Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/漳州), is "Tsing-tsiu".  
> **username_0**: Looked up Zhangzhou because the Wiki page you linked (the English one) mentioned Zhangzhou as "the major port trading with Macao and Manila in the 16th and 17 centuries".  
> **username_3**: So, Chinchew was used by 漳州 first, and then "stolen or robbed" by 泉州 till today. 漳州 became Changchow first, and then Zhangzhou. Very interesting.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-03-18. Score: 1

the internet archive has a copy of the book "the city of springs: or, mission work in chinchew", which is published in the year 1902:

<https://archive.org/details/princeton_theological_seminary_3720_0539>

on page 25, it stated:

> The name Chinchew, now so familiar to us, is merely an anglicised
> form of Tsuien-chow, being the northern or mandarin pronunciation
> of the name. In the Amoy language it is pronounced Tsoan-
> chiu. Tsoan — spring or fountain, and chiu — a city whose resident
> mandarin ranks as a prefect. The whole may be translated City of
> Springs.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/Iowp4.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/Iowp4.png)

it's an very interesting book, with numerous illustrations, have a read if you're not in that "area". well, internet archive is blocked in . . . :(


---

