xian

¹

[shyahn]

noun

1. hsien.

Xian

²

(Older Spellings) Si·an
(Older Spellings)
Or Xi'·an

[shee-ahn]

noun

Pinyin.

1. a city in and the capital of Shaanxi province, in central China: capital of the ancient Chinese Empire.

Xi'an

/ ʃjɑːn /

noun

1. Former names: Changan.  Siking. an industrial city in central China, capital of Shaanxi province: capital of China for 970 years at various times between the 3rd century _bc and the 10th century _ad ; seat of the Northwestern University (1937); famous for Qin dynasty emperor Qinshihuang's tomb (207 _bc ) with 8000-strong terracotta army. Pop: 3 256 000 (2005 est)