Maotai

Meanings

proper noun

A town in Renhuai, Zunyi, Guizhou, China.
Here in Maotai, where the pungent odor of fermenting sorghum is overpowering and almost everyone works for the distillery, spiking prices have become a point of pride.
2011 February 13, Andrew Jacobs, “Fake Liquors Flow as Demand Soars for China’s Fabled Sorghum Spirit”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 Nov 2013, Asia Pacific
2 more examples
MAOTAI CAPTURED BY SZECHUAN FORCES The Szechuan pursuit forces, after recapturing Maotai, western Kweichow, crossed the Chihshui Ho (River) and we now reached Tsaochihpa, near the Kweichow-Szechuan border.
1935, The China Weekly Review, volume 72, →OCLC, page 147
Signage for China Kweichow Moutai Distillery Co. baijiu liquor lines a road at the company’s facility in the Maotai section of the Renhuai District in Zunyi, Guizhou Province, China, on Thursday, April 7, 2011.
2021 August 26, Evelyn Cheng, Eustance Huang, “Chinese baijiu liquor stocks tumble amid regulatory concerns”, in CNBC, archived from the original on 26 Aug 2021
alternativeinformalAlternative form of Moutai (liquor)
Making inquiries, Chou ascertained that mao-t’ai was distilled with medicinal waters of the valley which had the unique property of producing a liquor that didn't go to one's head.
[1973, Jules Archer, “Long March to the Caves of Yenan”, in Chou En-lai, New York: Hawthorn Books, Inc., →LCCN, →OCLC, page 49

From the Wade–Giles romanization of Mandarin 茅台 (Máotái) Wade-Giles: Mao²-tʻai², reinforced by Hanyu Pinyin.

More words from Mandarin

Chinese Mandarin 茅臺 /茅台

Cite this entry

APA

Maotai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maotai

MLA

“Maotai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maotai. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Maotai,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maotai.

Source: Maotai on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.