Babelcarp:
a Chinese Tea Lexicon
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Translation
bantianyao (Ban Tian Yao) =
Wuyishan
oolong
and cultivar, one of the
Ming Cong
, literally Midair Waist (半天腰) [4,1,1], referring to a narrowing of a cliff where the tea was first grown; also, Midair Kite [bird] (半天鹞 or 半天鷂) [4,1,4], referring to a mythical bird which, pounced on by an eagle, dropped the gem it was carrying to where the tea was first grown, the gem turning into the seed that grew into the first shrub - both of these names are colorful ways of saying the bushes grow at high altitudes; also, Half Day Perish (半天夭) [4,1,1]; also, Midair Demon (半天妖) [4,1,1]. There are different spellings because of the conflicting myths of the tea's origin and tea farmers' limited literacy. Historians regard 半天鹞 as the earliest name and 半天妖 as an early alternate spelling.
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Ming2 Cong2 Xi4 Lie4
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