cha hai

Literal meaning

tea sea

Definition#

Polysemous term: in Taiwanese and much international usage it is a synonym of the fairness pitcher 公道杯; in mainland retail it also names large wooden or root-carved tea tables/trays with drainage. Disambiguate by context.

Translation and usage#

Language	Use	Alternatives & cautions
English	cha hai pitcher (or, in mainland retail, a tea table) pinyin with a gloss	Also acceptable fairness pitcher Avoid tea sea literal, meaningless
Deutsch	Cha Hai Ausgießkännchen pinyin with a gloss	Avoid Teemeer wörtlich, unverständlich
Русский	чахай сливник pinyin with a gloss	Avoid чайное море калька
简体字	茶海
繁體字	茶海	Regional usage 公道杯
日本語	茶海

Common confusions#

公道杯
茶盘
In Taiwan, 茶海 commonly names the serving pitcher. In some mainland product names it refers to a tea table. The object and context determine the meaning.

Terms#

公道杯 gōngdào bēi 茶盘 chápán

Sources#

ourchinastory.com/cn/9689

ourchinastory.com/zh/2194

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gongfu_tea