Chinese capital, from bei "north" + jing "capital" (as opposed to Nanking, literally "southern capital").
Entries linking to beijing
Nanking
city in China, literally "southern capital," from Chinese nan "south" + jing "capital."
Peking
former transliteration of the name of the Chinese capital city, now (in the pinyin system) called Beijing. In the Wade-Giles system it was Peiping; the form Peking pre-dates Wade-Giles and was formed by the old British-run, Hong Kong-based Chinese postal system. Peking duck, "large domestic duck of white plumage and orange beak and legs," is attested from 1880.