近日，海关商品名录中中国白酒的英文名字由原来的“Chinese distilled spirits”更改为“Chinese Baijiu”。去年4月，中国酒业协会正式向海关总署提出申请改名。

The Chinese spirit industry has hailed the official adoption of "Chinese Baijiu," as the new term for domestic distilled spirit labeling, following an application by the China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA) in April 2020. 

行业专家称，此举目前不会立即对行业产生影响，但是长期来看会对全球市场有深远影响。

Industry experts said that the move might not have an immediate impact on the industry but would be significant for the global market in the long run.
 

图源：人民视觉

据悉，1月1日正式执行的2021年《中华人民共和国进出口税则》，已经对白酒的英文名称进行了修改。

The official English name was used in the 2021 Import and Export Tariff of the People's Republic of China, which was implemented on January 1, media reports said.


白酒改英文名的新闻被很多网友关注，周四就成了微博热搜话题。同时，不少网友也为这一改动叫好，并将之与豆腐和饺子的英文名“tofu”和“jiaozi”相提并论。
 


Word of the new term went viral online and became one of the top topics on Sina Weibo on Thursday, with many netizens applauding the change and saying the new name will be like tofu or jiaozi, which have entered the English language as generic terms. 


 
专家称，中国白酒此前有很多种译名。尽管中国白酒占据全球蒸馏酒消费的三分之一，但是却一直没有一个正式的英文名称，经常是以“中国烈酒”或“中国蒸馏酒”等名称出现。

The famous Chinese spirit has gone under dozens of different names until now, experts said. Although accounting for one-third of global distilled spirit consumption, Chinese Baijiu has lacked a formal English name and was often named Chinese spirits, Chinese distilled spirits or Chinese liquor.

中国酒业协会称，中国白酒与白兰地(Brandy)、威士忌(Whisky)、伏特加(Vodka)、朗姆酒(Rum) 和金酒(Gin)一起并称为世界六大蒸馏酒，不过由于没有一个准确的官方名称，经常会让海外消费者感到困惑。

Chinese Baijiu, together with brandy, whisky, vodka, rum and gin, ranks among the top six distilled spirits in the world, according to the CADA. But for years, Chinese Baijiu lacked an official, accurate English name, causing confusion among overseas consumers.

面对现在的白酒译名，网友们则开玩笑的表示，要是早点定了这个名字，英语四级考试也就不那么痛苦了。



  
还有网友建议，直接Baijiu就好。



酒是中国文化中的重要部分，中国酿酒历史超过2000年。同时，中国白酒也与西方蒸馏酒的传统概念完全不同。

Liquor as an important part of Chinese culture has a production history of more than 2,000 years. It's completely different from the traditional concept of distilled spirits in the West.

2019年开始，中国白酒的系列国家标准《白酒工业术语》进行修订，并对白酒的英文名称进行了修订：白酒，英文名字：Baijiu。随后，Baijiu一词出现在国际期刊、会议和文献上，经学术界的努力和宣传，也逐渐被行业专家和消费者认可接受。

In 2019, the English name of the Chinese distilled spirit, Chinese Baijiu, was revised by China's Standardization Administration in the recommended national standard, Terminology of Baijiu Industry. The name was gradually accepted and recognized by industry experts as well as consumers after the academia's efforts to popularize it in international journals, conferences and literature.

综合来源：每日经济新闻，中国日报网英语点津，环球时报英文版网站，Caixin Global