“Ningguta has no pagoda” is a popular Chinese saying used to describe something that doesn’t live up to its name. Ningguta, located in present-day Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province, was a notorious exile site during the Qing Dynasty, where political prisoners and serious criminals were banished. Despite its name—which includes the Chinese character for ‘pagoda’ (塔)—there was never any actual pagoda there. The name ‘Ningguta’ actually comes from the Manchu word ‘ningguta,’ meaning ‘six,’ reportedly referring to six brothers who once lived in the area during the early Qing period. This has nothing to do with Buddhist or architectural pagodas. The misunderstanding arises from a literal interpretation of the Chinese transliteration of the Manchu place name. Thus, the phrase not only highlights common pitfalls in linguistic translation and cultural interpretation but also reflects the rich ethnic and historical context behind historical toponyms. Today, the former site of Ningguta serves as an important historical landmark for studying Qing-era frontier governance and the exile system.
“宁古塔没有塔”是一句流传甚广的民间俗语，常被用来形容名不副实的事物。宁古塔位于今中国黑龙江省牡丹江市一带，是清代著名的流放地，曾被大量用于惩罚政治犯和重罪犯人。然而，尽管名字中带有‘塔’字，宁古塔实际上并无任何塔形建筑。‘宁古塔’之名源于满语‘ningguta’，意为‘六个’，相传因清初有六位兄弟在此居住而得名，与佛教或建筑意义上的‘塔’毫无关联。这一误解主要源于汉语使用者对地名的字面理解。因此，“宁古塔没有塔”不仅揭示了语言翻译与文化转译中的常见误区，也反映了历史地名背后丰富的民族与历史背景。如今，宁古塔旧址已成为研究清代边疆治理与流放制度的重要历史遗迹。
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