茶马古道茶馬古道
Term · History
Tea Horse Road
Literal meaning
tea-horse + ancient road
Definition#
Network of caravan routes carrying tea from Sichuan and Yunnan to Tibet and beyond. The name was coined in 1990 by six Yunnan University scholars (including Mu Jihong and Chen Baoya) after their expedition, and first used in print in a 1992 paper; the trade itself is much older. Sections were listed as national key cultural relics on 5 March 2013.
Translation and usage#
| Language | Use | Alternatives & cautions |
|---|---|---|
| English | Tea Horse Road caravan routes from Sichuan/Yunnan to Tibet translation |
Also acceptable
Avoid Southern Silk Road (as synonym) a broader, separate label Great Tea Road the Kyakhta overland route to Russia |
| Deutsch | Tee-Pferde-Straße Karawanenwege von Sichuan/Yunnan nach Tibet translation |
Also acceptable
Avoid Südliche Seidenstraße (als Synonym) weiter gefasster, anderer Begriff |
| Русский | Древний чайный путь караванные пути из Сычуани и Юньнани в Тибет translation |
Also acceptable
Avoid Великий чайный путь так называют сухопутный путь через Кяхту в Россию |
| 简体字 | 茶马古道 | |
| 繁體字 | 茶馬古道 | |
| 日本語 | 茶馬古道 |
Common confusions#
- Treated as an ancient name; it is a 1990 scholarly coinage.
- Russian 'Great Tea Road' and Chinese 万里茶道 refer to the Wuyi/Hankou–Kyakhta route, not this one.