贡茶貢茶
Term · History
tribute tea
Literal meaning
tribute + tea
Definition#
Tea sent to the imperial court as tribute. In the Tang the Guzhu tribute workshop in Huzhou is recorded as making 18,400 jin a year; in the Song, Beiyuan cakes dominated; in 1391 the Ming limited Fujian tribute to buds under four names; Qing tribute included pu'er from Yunnan.
Translation and usage#
| Language | Use | Alternatives & cautions |
|---|---|---|
| English | tribute tea tea supplied to the imperial court translation |
Also acceptable
|
| Deutsch | Tributtee an den Kaiserhof abgelieferter Tee translation |
Also acceptable
|
| Русский | чай-дань чай, поставлявшийся императорскому двору pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
|
| 简体字 | 贡茶 | |
| 繁體字 | 貢茶 | |
| 日本語 | 貢茶 |
Common confusions#
- Babelcarp notes the homophone 宫茶 (a yellow tea, 'palace tea').
- Modern brand names with 贡 do not by themselves prove a documented tribute history; check the gazetteer or archive.