Talk:薯蕷

sweet potato

@Wyang Are you sure 薯蕷 referred to "sweet potato"? The article you put at the 番薯 talk page isn't very clear that it meant "sweet potato". — justin(r)leung _{{ (t...) | c=› }} 14:17, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

Umm, I used footnote 3 on page 47 when I added the sense. Wyang (talk) 21:57, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

@Wyang, is it possible that 薯蕷 meant Chinese yam instead? If this is the first out of two decrees, why does it say "前已谕令毕沅", which implies "仿照怀庆府属广种薯蓣" is not included as one of the decrees? (My Classical Chinese is pretty bad, so this may just be nonsense :P) — justin(r)leung _{{ (t...) | c=› }} 22:57, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

Haha, here is a bit more background on this. Emperor Qianlong asked 毕沅 (governor-general of Henan) to consult the Fujian officials for advice on the cultivation of sweet potatoes to relieve the years-long bad harvests. 毕沅 reported that there had already been sweet potato cultivation in Huaiqing (in Henan, called 薯蕷) and Yizhou (in nearby Shandong, called 番薯) and they were the same, therefore Qianlong asked him to obtain seeds from those two places instead and mimic their method to promote the cultivation of sweet potatoes.

(路過山東沂州府，亦見該處種有番薯，而豫省懷慶所出薯蕷，性與同類。此物既可充食，又能耐旱，河南、山東二省，頻歲不登，小民艱食。畢沅、明興當即轉飭各屬，勸諭民人，仿照懷慶、沂州，廣為栽種接濟民食，亦屬備荒之一法。至豫省既產薯蕷，則番薯一種，閩省亦毋庸多寄。) Wyang (talk) 23:31, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

I see. It makes sense now. Thanks for your effort! — justin(r)leung _{{ (t...) | c=› }} 05:44, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

yam

@Tooironic Are you sure this can mean yam, not Chinese yam? — justin(r)leung _{{ (t...) | c=› }} 15:08, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

Not sure. Baike claims 薯蕷 = Dioscorea opposita Thunb. if that helps. ---> Tooironic (talk) 15:53, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

@Tooironic, Dioscorea opposita is an obsolete name for Dioscorea polystachya. It seems to also be Dioscorea as a genus (薯蕷屬) and Dioscoreaceae as a family (薯蕷科). — justin(r)leung _{{ (t...) | c=› }} 21:39, 2 September 2016 (UTC)