Search Dictionary
Definition of xi'an
xi'an
xi'an Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
8
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
The capital city of Shaanxi Province in central China, historically marking the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and renowned globally as the site of the ancient Terracotta Army.
Example
"Thousands of international tourists travel to Xi'an each year to marvel at the life-sized statues of the Terracotta Army."
Word Nuance & Usage
The apostrophe in Xi'an is used in Pinyin romanization to separate the syllables 'xi' and 'an', preventing mispronunciation or confusion with the single syllable 'xian'.
Word Origin & Etymology
From Mandarin Chinese Xī'ān (西安), literally meaning 'Western Peace'. It was historically known as Chang'an during several major Chinese dynasties.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Xi'an. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 15, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/xi'an