琐罗亚斯德教 (Suǒluóyàsīdéjiào): Zoroastrianism (ancient Iranian…

Two Chinese names: classical 祆教 (xiānjiào, used since the Tang dynasty) and modern phonetic 琐罗亚斯德教 (transliterating 'Zoroaster'). The transliteration appears in scholarly and modern texts; 祆教 is preferred when discussing the religion's historical presence in China itself.

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祆教 Xiānjiào

Xianjiao (Tang-era Chinese name for Zoroastrianism)

When Zoroastrianism reached Tang China via Sogdian merchants on the Silk Road, the Chinese coined the special character 祆 (xiān) — combining 礻 (spirit) and 天 (heaven) — exclusively for this religion.