Mueang

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File:Ang Thong (2024) - ที่ว่าการอำเภอเมืองอ่างทอง.jpg
Capital districts of provinces in Thailand are referred to as "mueang district". Pictured here is the office of Mueang Ang Thong district, i.e., the capital district of Ang Thong.
File:芒市广场-迎宾门傣语.jpg
The ethnic Tai Nuea name of Mangshi (pictured) in Yunnan, China is Mueang Khon

Mueang (Ahom: 𑜉𑜢𑜤𑜂𑜫;Thai: เมือง mɯ̄ang, pronounced [mɯaŋ˧] Audio file "Mueang (TH).ogg" not found), Muang (Lao: ເມືອງ mɯ́ang, pronounced [mɯaŋ˦]), Möng (Tai Nuea: ᥛᥫᥒᥰ möeng; Shan: မိူင်း móeng, pronounced [məŋ˦]), Meng (Chinese: 猛 or 勐) or Mường (Vietnamese) were pre-modern semi-independent city-states or principalities in mainland Southeast Asia, adjacent regions of Northeast India and Southern China, including what is now Thailand, Laos, Burma, Cambodia, parts of northern Vietnam, southern Yunnan, western Guangxi and Assam.

Mueang was originally a term in the Tai languages for a town having a defensive wall and a ruler with at least the Thai noble rank of khun (ขุน), together with its dependent villages.[1][2][3] The mandala model of political organisation organised states in collective hierarchy such that smaller mueang were subordinate to more powerful neighboring ones, which in turn were subordinate to a central king or other leader. The more powerful mueang (generally designated as chiang, wiang, nakhon, or krung – with Bangkok as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon) occasionally tried to liberate themselves from their suzerain and could enjoy periods of relative independence. Mueang large and small often shifted allegiance, and frequently paid tribute to more than one powerful neighbor – the most powerful of the period being Ming China.

Following Kublai Khan's defeat of the Dali Kingdom of the Bai people in 1253 and its establishment as a tutelary state, new mueang were founded widely throughout the Shan States and adjoining regions – though the common description of this as a "mass migration" is disputed.[4] Following historical Chinese practice, tribal leaders principally in Yunnan were recognized by the Yuan as imperial officials, in an arrangement generally known as the Tusi ("Native Chieftain") system. Ming and Qing-era dynasties gradually replaced native chieftains with non-native Chinese government officials.

In the 19th century, Thailand's Chakri dynasty and Burma's colonial and subsequent military rulers did much the same with their lesser mueang, but, while the petty kingdoms are gone, the place names remain.

Place names

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Place names in Southwestern Tai languages

Cambodia

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In Khmer, "moeang" (មឿង) is a word borrowed from the Thai language meaning "small city" or "small town."[5] Usually used as a place name for villages.

China

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The placename "mueang" is written in Chinese characters as 勐, 孟; měng, which is equivalent to Tai Nüa: ᥛᥫᥒᥰ and Tai Lü: ᦵᦙᦲᧂ, both of which are spoken in China.

Script in English Name in Tai Nuea Name in Tai Lue Script in Chinese Common used name
Möng Mao[6] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥛᥣᥝᥰ[7] 勐卯 Ruili
Möng Hkwan[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥑᥩᥢᥴ[7] ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦃᦸᧃ[9] 勐焕 Mangshi
Möng Wan[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥝᥢᥰ[7] 勐宛 Longchuan
Möng Ti[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥖᥤᥰ[7] 勐底 Lianghe
Möng Na[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥘᥣᥲ[7] 勐腊 Yingjiang
Moeng La (Hò)[10] ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦟᦱ 勐拉 Simao
Moeng La[10] ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦟᦱᧉ 勐腊 Mengla
Moeng Hai[10] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥞᥣᥭᥰ[7] ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦣᦻ[9] 勐海 Menghai
Möng Lem[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥘᥥᥛᥰ[7] 孟连 Menglian
Möng Cheng[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥐᥪᥒ[7] 勐耿 Gengma
Möng Long[11] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥘᥨᥒ[12]: 221  Longling
Möng Möng[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥛᥫᥒᥰ[7] 勐勐 Shuangjiang
Meng Lam or Möng Lang[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥘᥣᥛᥰ[7] 勐朗 Lancang
Möng Htong[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥗᥨᥒᥴ[7] 勐统 Changning
Meng Tsung ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥓᥧᥒᥰ[7] Yuanjiang
Meng Then or Möng Hköng[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥗᥦᥢᥴ[7] Fengqing
Möng Myen[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥛᥦᥢᥰ[7] 勐缅 Tengchong or Lincang
Möng Sè[6] or Moeng Sae[10] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥔᥥᥴ[7] ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦵᦉ[9] Kunming
Meng Ha ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥑᥣᥰ[7] Kejie Town (zh)
Meng Ha or Möng Ya[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥑᥣᥴ[7] Wandian Dai Ethnic Township (zh)
Möng Hkö[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥑᥫᥰ[7] Lujiang Town (zh)
Möng Nyim[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥒᥤᥛᥰ[7] 勐允 Shangyun Town (zh)
Moeng Cae[10] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥓᥥ[7] ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦵᦵᦋᧈ 勐遮 Mengzhe Town (zh)
Möng Hsa[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥔᥣᥴ[7] 勐撒 Mengsa Town (zh)
Möng Yang[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥕᥣᥒᥰ[7] 勐养 Mengyang Town (zh)
Möng Tum[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥖᥧᥛᥰ[7] 勐董 Mengdong
Meng Ten ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥖᥦᥢᥰ[7] 勐典 Mengdian (a place in Yingjiang County)
Möng Ting[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥖᥤᥒ[7] 孟定 Mengding Town (zh)
Meng Lim ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥘᥤᥛᥴ[7] Huangcao-Ba (黄草坝, a place in Longling County)
Moeng Luang[10] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥘᥨᥒ[7] ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦷᦟᧂ[9] 勐龙 Menglong Town (zh)
Meng Loong ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥘᥩᥒᥴ[7] 勐弄 Mengnong Township (zh)
Möng Maw[8] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥛᥨᥝᥱ[7] 勐磨 Jiucheng Township
Moeng Ham[10] ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥞᥛᥰ[7] ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦣᧄ[9] 勐罕 Menghan Town (zh)
Meng Heu ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥞᥥᥝᥰ[13] 勐秀 Mengxiu Township
Meng Ka ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥐᥣ 勐戛 Mengga
Meng Yue 勐约 Mengyue Township (zh)
Möng Hpawng[8] or Moeng Phong[10] ᦵᦙᦲᧂ ᦘᦳᧂ 勐捧 Mengpeng Town (zh)
Meng Dui 勐堆 Mengdui Township (zh)
Meng Ku 勐库 Mengku Town (zh)
Meng Yoong ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥕᥩᥒᥰ[14] 勐永 MengYong Town (zh)
Meng Keng ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥐᥦᥒᥰ[14] 勐简 Mengjian Township (zh)
Meng Seng ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥔᥫᥒᥴ[14] 勐省 Mengsheng
Meng Jiao 勐角 Mengjiao Dai, Yi and Lahu People Township
Meng Nuo 勐糯 Mengnuo Town (zh)
Meng Xian 勐先 Mengxian Town (zh)
Meng Nong 孟弄 Mengnong Yi Ethnic Township (zh)
Möng Pan[10] 勐班 Mengban Township
Meng Da 勐大 Mengda Town (zh)
Moeng Lae[10] 勐烈 Menglie Town (zh)
Meng Ma 勐马 Mengma Town (zh)
Meng Suo 勐梭 Mengsuo Town (zh)
Meng Ka 勐卡 Mengka Town (zh)
Meng La 勐拉 Mengla Town (zh)
Meng Qiao 勐桥 Mengqiao Township (zh)
Meng Òng[10] 勐旺 Mengwang Township, Jinghong (zh)
Moeng Hun[10] 勐混 Menghun Town (zh)
Moeng Man[10] 勐满 Mengman Town (zh)
Meng A 勐阿 Meng'a Town (zh)
Meng Song 勐宋 Mengsong Township (zh)
Moeng Òng[10] 勐往 Mengwang Township, Menghai (zh)
Moeng Nun[10] 勐仑 Menglun Town (zh)
Meng Ban 勐伴 Mengban Town (zh)

Laos

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Laos is colloquially known as Muang Lao, but for Lao people, the word conveys more than mere administrative district. The usage is of special historic interest for the Lao; in particular for their traditional socio-political and administrative organisation, and the formation of their early (power) states,[15] described by later scholars as Mandala (Southeast Asian political model). Provinces of Laos are now subdivided into what are commonly translated as districts of Laos, with some retaining Muang as part of the name:

Myanmar

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Further information: Saopha and Shan States
File:ႁူင်းယႃ ဝဵင်းမိူင်းၼၢႆး - panoramio.jpg
A hospital in Mong Nai

Northeast India

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Thailand

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Further information: Amphoe, Boriwen, Monthon, Muban, Sukhaphiban, Tambon, and Thesaban
File:หอนาฬิกาเชียงราย Chiang Rai Clock Tower.jpg
The Mueang Chiang Rai Clock Tower

Thailand is colloquially known as Mueang Thai. After the Thesaphiban reforms of Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, city-states under Siam were organized into monthon (มณฑล, Thai translation of mandala), which was changed to changwat (จังหวัด) in 1916.[17] Mueang still can be found as the term for the capital districts of the provinces (amphoe mueang), as well as for a municipal status equivalent to town (thesaban mueang). In standard Thai, the term for the country of Thailand is ประเทศไทย, rtgs: Prathet Thai.

Mueang toponyms

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Mueang still forms part of the placenames of a few places, notably Don Mueang District, home to Don Mueang International Airport; and in the Royal Thai General System of Transcription Mueang Phatthaya (เมืองพัทยา) for the self-governing municipality of Pattaya.

Nakhon mueang

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Nakhon (นคร) as meaning "city" has been modified to thesaban nakhon (เทศบาลนคร), usually translated as "city municipality". It still forms part of the name of some places.

Buri mueang

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Sung Noen District is noted for having been the site of two ancient cities: Mueang Sema and Khorakhapura. Pali púra became Sanskrit puri, hence Thai บุรี, บูรี,[18] (buri) all connoting the same as Thai mueang: city with defensive wall.[19] "Khorakhapura" was nicknamed "Nakhon Raj," which as a portmanteau with Sema, became Nakhon Ratchasima.[20] Though dropped from the name of this mueang, Sanskrit buri persists in the names of others.

Vietnam

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Further information: Sip Song Chau Tai
File:Lai Châu Town Square Monument (2014).jpg
Mường Lay town square

Etymology

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NB: Luo et al. employ /ü/ which may erroneously scan as /ii/.

Müang Fai irrigation system

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Müang Fai is a term reconstructed from Proto-Tai, the common ancestor of all Tai languages. In the Guangxi-Guizhou of Southern China region, the term described what was then a unique type of irrigation engineering for wet-rice cultivation. Müang meaning 'irrigation channel, ditch, canal' and Fai, 'dike, weir, dam.' together referred to gravitational irrigation systems for directing water from streams and rivers.[21] The Proto-Tai language is not directly attested by any surviving texts, but has been reconstructed using the comparative method. This term has Proto-Tai-tone A1. All A1 words are rising tone in modern Thai and Lao, following rules determined for tone origin. Accordingly, the term is:

in modern Thai: เหมืองฝาย[22]
in modern Lao: ເຫມື່ອງຝາຍ.[23] (NB: SEAlang Library's Lao entry omits tonal marking – a typographical error.)

Different linguistic tones give different meanings; scholarship has not established a link between this term and any of the terms which differ in tone.

Origin of mueang

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Mueang conveys many meanings, all having to do with administrative, social, political and religious orientation on wet-rice cultivation. The origin of the word mueang yet remains obscure. In October 2007, The National Library of Laos, in collaboration with the Berlin State Library and the University of Passau, started a project to produce the Digital Library of Lao Manuscripts. Papers presented at the Literary Heritage of Laos Conference, held in Vientiane in 2005, have also been made available. Many of the mss. illuminate the administrative, social, political, and religious demands put on communities in the same watershed area that insured a high degree of cooperation to create and maintain irrigation systems (müang-faai) – which probably was the primary reason for founding mueang.[24]

Kham Mueang

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File:Wat Ming Mueang, Chiang Rai - 2017-06-27 (001).jpg
A signage in Tai Tham script, traditionally used for written kham mueang

Kham Mueang (Thai: คำเมือง) is the modern spoken form of the old Northern Thai language that was the language of the kingdom of Lan Na (Million Fields). Central Thai may call northern Thai people and their language Thai Yuan. They call their language Kham Mueang in which Kham means language or word; mueang; town, hence the meaning of "town language," specifically in contrast to those of the many hill tribe peoples in the surrounding mountainous areas.[25]

See also

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References

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  5. ^ Headley, Robert K. "SEAlang Library Khmer", SEAlang Library, 05/14/2018
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  22. ^ เหมืองฝาย;
  23. ^ http://sealang.net/lao/dictionary.htm ເຫມືອງຝາຽ
  24. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  • File:Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg The dictionary definition of mueang at Wiktionary
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