Talk:Zhang Qian

114 BC or 113 BC?

I know it's difficult to convert historical dates. When did Zhang Qian died? This article says 113 BC; the Chinese wiki says 114 BC. A Google search results in divided opinions. Shall we make it explicit? -- Toytoy 00:29, Mar 18, 2005 (UTC)

Bactria versus Daxia

"the Bactrian country of Daxia"? - Isn't "Bactria" the same as (chin.) "Daxia"? --89.56.13.177 20:34, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

• Probably. Septentrionalis PMAnderson 21:02, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

In some authors, sure, although it's inexact. A single Hellenic state with its capital at Balkh wasn't necessarily what the Chinese meant by Daxia, no. — LlywelynII 10:28, 24 August 2024 (UTC)

BC vs BCE

This artcile was originally written using BC notation. At this edit [1] user PHG decided to make a large number of changes from BC/AD to BCE/CE. His edit history comment was simply "ideograms". This change was uncalled for, and against policy. Accordingly I'm changing the notation back to the original. If this is not done it leads the way to eventually all articles being changed in this way. 82.20.28.142 (talk) 21:44, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

I've replaced BCE with BC and removed instances of CE. Neither AD nor CE is necessary for years in the common era. 82.20.28.142 (talk) 21:50, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

...unless there's the possibility of confusion. — LlywelynII 10:32, 24 August 2024 (UTC)

Eh... no

"Dayuan lies south-west of the territory of the Xiongnu, some 10,000 li (5,000 kilometres) directly west of China. The people are settled on the land, ploughing the fields and growing rice and wheat. They also make wine out of grapes. The people live in houses in fortified cities, there being some seventy or more cities of various sizes in the region. The population numbers several hundred thousand" (Shiji, 123, Zhang Qian quote, trans. Burton Watson).[26]

1st, the linked source doesn't provide anything like that quote. 2nd, the li of ancient Chinese sources was NOT 500 met(er|re)s. It wasn't anything roughly close to 500 meters. It was a variable measure, frequently of time, periodically standardized at various distances around 300 meters. Taking li as term for half a click is an entirely modern (and as seen entirely unhelpful) postmetricization shorthand similar to the way Scandis now use mil to mean a myriameter. Beyond which, 3rd, anything involving round numbers—particularly exactly 1000 or 10,000—are not measurements at all but the way the Chinese language just says "too f---in' far to actually count".

The whole article needs cleanup on the point, but particularly that apparently madeup or misattributed quote. — LlywelynII 10:32, 24 August 2024 (UTC)