Chapter MACASSAR to MACHEEN of M by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

call Mahachina.’ ”—Pèl. Bouddh. ii. 254-255.

c. 641.—“Mohochintan.” See quotation under CHINA.

c. 1030.—“Some other mountains are called Harmakút, in which the Ganges has its source. These are impassable from the side of the cold regions, and beyond them lies Machin.”—Al-Biruni, in Elliot, i. 46.

1501.—In the Letter of Amerigo Vespucci on the Portuguese discoveries, written from C. Verde, 4th June, we find mention among other new regions of Marchin. Published in Baldelli Boni’s Il Milione, page ciii.

c. 1590.—“Adjoining to Asham is Tibet, bordering upon Khatai, which is properly Mahacheen, vulgarly called Macheen. The capital of Khatai is Khan Baleegh, 4 days’ journey from the sea.”—Ayeen, by Gladwin, edition 1800, ii. 4; [ed. Jarrett, ii. 118].

[c. 1665.—“… you told me … that Persia, Usbec, Kachguer, Tartary, and Catay, Pegu, Siam, China and Matchine (in orig. Tchine et Matchine) trembled at the name of the Kings of the Indies.”—Bernier, edition Constable, 155 seq.]

Applied to Southern China.

c. 1300.—“Khatai is bounded on one side by the countr y of Machin, which the Chinese call Manzi. … In the Indian language S. China is called Maha-chin, i.e. ‘Great China,’ and hence we derive the word Manzi.”—Rashid-uddin, in H. des Mongols (Quatremère), xci.-xciii.

c. 1348.—“It was the Kaam’s orders that we should proceed through Manzi, which was formerly known as India Maxima” (by which he indicates Maha-China, see below, in last quotation).—John Marignolli, in Cathay, page 354.

Applied to Indo- China:

c. 1430.—“Ea provincia (Ava)—Macinum incolae dicunt—… referta est elephantis.”—Conti, in Poggius, De Var. Fortunae.


Chin and Machin: c. 1320.—“The curiosities of Chín and Machín, and the beautiful products of Hind and Sind.”—Wassaf, in Elliot, iii. 32.

c. 1440.—“Poi si retrova in quella istessa provincia di Zagatai Sanmarcant città grandissima e ben popolata, por la qual vanno e vengono tutti quelli di Cini e Macini e del Cataio, o mercanti o viandanti che siano.”—Barbaro, in Ramusio, ii. f. 106v..

c. 1442.—“The merchants of the 7 climates from Egypt … from the whole of the realms of Chin and Machin, and from the city of Khanbalik, steer their course to this port.”—Abdurrazak, in Notices et Extraits, xiv. 429.

[1503.—“Sin and Masin.” See under JAVA.]

Mahachin or Chin Kalan, for Canton.

c. 1030.—In Sprenger’s extracts from Al-Biruni we have “Sharghud, in Chinese Sanfu. This is Great China (Mahasin).”—Post und Reise-routen des Orients, 90.

c. 1300.—“This canal extends for a distance of 40 days’ navigation from Khanbaligh to Khingsai and Zaitun, the ports frequented by the ships that come from India, and from the city of Machin.”—Rashid-uddin, in Cathay, &c., 259-260.

c. 1332.—“… after I had sailed eastward over the Ocean Sea for many days I came to that noble province Manzi. … The first city to which I came in this country was called Cens-Kalan, and ’tis a city as big as three Venices.”—Odoric, in Cathay, &c., 103-105.

c. 1347.—“In the evening we stopped at another village, and so on till we arrived at Sin-Kalan, which is the city of Sin-ul-Sin … one of the greatest of cities, and one of those that has the finest of bazaars. One of the largest of these is the porcelain bazaar, and from it china-ware is exported to the other cities of China, to India, and to Yemen.”—Ibn Batuta, iv. 272.

c. 1349.—“The first of these is called Manzi, the greatest and noblest province in the world, having no paragon in beauty, pleasantness, and extent. In it is that noble city of Campsay, besides Zayton, Cynkalan, and many other cities.”—John Marignolli, in Cathay, &c., 373.