杀青殺青
Term · Processing
kill-green
Literal meaning
kill the green
Definition#
Heating tea leaf to reduce the activity of its oxidising enzymes and soften it for rolling. The method, temperature and duration depend on the tea and equipment. The term alone does not establish how much enzyme activity remains, or prove a particular mechanism or rate of later Pu Erh ageing.
Translation and usage#
| Language | Use | Alternatives & cautions |
|---|---|---|
| English | kill-green enzyme-deactivating heat step calque |
Also acceptable
Avoid roasting a different step at different temperature |
| Deutsch | Erhitzen Enzym-Inaktivierung durch Erhitzen in der Pfanne translation |
Also acceptable
Avoid Rösten means roasting |
| Русский | ша цин обжарка в котле для остановки окисления pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
Avoid остановка ферментации (без пояснения) In tea processing, fermentation conventionally also means enzymatic oxidation. Specify that sense when it could be confused with microbial fermentation. |
| 简体字 | 杀青 | |
| 繁體字 | 殺青 | |
| 日本語 | 殺青 |
Common confusions#
- Do not equate fixation with killing every microbe, or assume that all Pu Erh receives a deliberately gentler treatment than every green tea. Claims about residual enzyme activity need a measured processing example.
- Russian sources (Cyclowiki, TeaTerra) describe the heat step as stopping fermentation.
- German Wikipedia describes it only as heating in iron pans without naming the step.
Terms#
Entries that use this term 20#
武夷岩茶
Wuyi rock tea Wǔyí yánchá
Umbrella entry for the roasted oolongs of Wuyishan, defined by a geographical-indication standard; individual cultivars and named teas are child entries.
sourced
生普
Sheng pu'er shēng pǔ
Pu-er made from sun-dried maocha without the accelerated wet-piling used for shou; its character changes with manufacture and storage.
draft
白茶
White tea báichá
Tea chiefly made by withering, drying and sorting, without green-tea fixation. Traditional forms are unrolled; Fuding new-craft white tea adds light rolling.
sourced
乌龙茶
Oolong wūlóngchá
Umbrella for partly oxidised teas made by bruising the leaf (做青); grouped by origin as Minbei, Minnan, Guangdong (Chaozhou) and Taiwan oolong.
sourced
闽南乌龙
Minnan oolong Mǐnnán wūlóng
Grouping for southern Fujian oolong: Anxi Tieguanyin and the other Anxi cultivars, Yongchun Foshou and Zhangping Shuixian. Usually rolled into tight half-balls.
sourced
安溪铁观音
Anxi Tieguanyin Ānxī Tiěguānyīn
Rolled oolong from the Tieguanyin cultivar, protected as a GI for the whole of Anxi County. GB/T 19598-2025 defines three styles: clean (清香), heavy (浓香) and aged (陈香).
sourced
Show all entries 20Show fewer entries
黄金桂
Huangjin Gui Huángjīn Guì
Light, very fragrant Anxi oolong from the early Huangdan cultivar, named "golden osmanthus" for its aroma; defined by GB/T 30357.3-2015.
sourced
本山
Benshan Běnshān
Oolong made from Anxi’s Benshan cultivar. Its floral aroma can resemble Tieguanyin, but it is a distinct plant and deserves its own product identity.
sourced
毛蟹
Maoxie Máoxiè
Anxi oolong made from Maoxie, a cultivar with conspicuously downy young shoots.
sourced
永春佛手
Yongchun Foshou Yǒngchūn Fóshǒu
Oolong from the large-leaved Foshou cultivar, protected as a GI for Yongchun County (GB/T 21824-2008); its aroma is likened to pear or citron.
sourced
凤凰单丛
Phoenix Dancong Fènghuáng Dāncōng
An aromatic family of oolongs from the Phoenix Mountains of Chaozhou, Guangdong, known for long, twisted leaves and naturally floral, fruity or honeyed aromas. Its many named selections come from Fenghuang Shuixian tea plants, with each tea’s character shaped by the plant material and processing.
sourced
蜜兰香单丛
Mi Lan Xiang Dancong Mìlánxiāng Dāncōng
The honey-orchid aroma family of Dancong, including several named selections as well as Baiye Milan; the aroma name alone does not identify one cultivar.
sourced
鸭屎香单丛
Ya Shi Xiang Dancong Yāshǐxiāng Dāncōng
A floral Dancong associated with Pingkengtou in Fenghuang, known by the striking name Ya Shi Xiang (“duck-shit aroma”) and also sold as Yin Hua Xiang.
sourced
黄栀香单丛
Huang Zhi Xiang Dancong Huángzhīxiāng Dāncōng
The gardenia-like aroma family of Dancong, covering several named tree lines; written 黄栀香 in the GI text and often 黄枝香 in trade.
sourced
芝兰香单丛
Zhi Lan Xiang Dancong Zhīlánxiāng Dāncōng
The orchid-like Zhi Lan Xiang aroma family of Dancong, including Ba Xian and other named selections from the Fenghuang area.
sourced
宋种单丛
Song Zhong Dancong Sòngzhǒng Dāncōng
A traditional name associated with celebrated old Fenghuang trees and their propagated lines; it spans several aroma families and does not by itself prove ancient-tree leaf.
sourced
岭头单丛
Lingtou Dancong Lǐngtóu Dāncōng
Dancong associated with the Lingtou (Baiye) cultivar and Lingtou village in Fubin, Raoping; known for honey-floral character, with a separate GI product recognised in 2025.
sourced
龙岩斜背茶
Longyan Xiebei tea Lóngyán Xiébèi chá
Pan-fired green tea from Jiangshan in Longyan’s Xinluo district, made from local Xiebei material with repeated firing and screening.
sourced
上饶白眉
Shangrao Baimei Shàngráo Báiméi
Downy green tea from Guangxin district in Shangrao, Jiangxi, shaped from tender buds and leaves and made in three types.
sourced
江山绿牡丹
Jiangshan Lü Mudan Jiāngshān Lǜ mǔdān
Shaped green tea from Jiangshan in Zhejiang, developed from 1980 in Bao’an township from local bushes and named for the form and colour of its leaf.
sourced