The river has borne the name "Ashi" since the
Qing (17th–20th century). Before that, it was known as the
Anchuhu (
Middle Chinese:
ʔan-tsyhwit-xu), a medieval Chinese
transcription of its original
Jurchen name
Anchun,
Ancun, or
Alcun, meaning 'gold' or 'golden', presumably from
placer deposits along its banks. ==History==