Shaojiu
/ʂɑ́ʊ tɕjòʊ/noun
A Chinese term for distilled liquor, especially strong grain spirits such as baijiu.
Did you know?Although shaojiu is often translated as “burning liquor,” the name refers to heating or distilling the drink, not to a supernatural ritual or necessarily setting it alight.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese
Old Chinese
酒 (*tsuʔ)
“Alcoholic drink or fermented liquor”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
燒酒 (shāojiǔ)
“Literally “burned/heated liquor,” a term associated with strongly heated or distilled spirits”
Medieval China
Chinese
燒酒 (shāojiǔ)
“A name increasingly used for distilled grain liquor as distillation technology spread”
20th Century
Mandarin
烧酒 (shāojiǔ)
“Distilled liquor, commonly referring to strong Chinese spirits”
Modern English
English
shaojiu
“An English loanword for Chinese distilled liquor”