Note:
(a) "历史上的丝绸之路,既不是中国人兴建的,也不是中国人推行的,而是境外对中国的丝绸有需要,才形成了丝绸之路。所以查中国的古籍,是找不到“丝绸之路”这个词的。1860年前后,德国地理学家李希霍芬到中亚考察,提出“丝绸之路”概念。他结合考察情况,又对照中国历史,提出约在公元前二世纪,存在着这样一条丝绸之路。"
(i) Silkl Road
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road
(section 1 Name: The German terms Seidenstraße and Seidenstraßen ("the Silk Road(s)/Route(s)") were coined by Ferdinand von Richthofen)
(ii) German English dictionary
* seiden (adj): "silken"en.wiktionary.org/wiki/seiden
^ Seide (noun feminine): "silk"
* Straße (noun feminine; plural Straßen; ultimately from Latin [noun feminine] strata [a paved road] (cognate to English street)): "a paved road, especially in the city; street"
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Stra%C3%9Fe
巴尔喀什湖 Lake Balkhash
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Balkhash
(section 1 History and naming)
Quote:
"The lake is divided by a strait into two distinct parts. The western part is fresh water, while the eastern half is saline.
"The major one [among rivers that empty into the lake] is the Ili River 伊犁河 * * * The Ili is fed from precipitation (largely vernal snowmelt) from the mountains of China's Xinjiang region.