Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c5.s2.t5.5

v1.c5.s2.t5.5

In the Sanskrit version of the *Thousand Character Classic* compiled by Yijing of the Tang Dynasty, cucumber was transliterated as duoluobusuo and its Sanskrit equivalent is ‘*trapusa*’. In the Chinese version of the Buddhist *Sutras*, we find the same translation of the name. In the work, *Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha*, a trader’s name was given as Dilifusuo with the added note, “Hu gourd as pronounced by people in the Sui Dynasty.” The monk Yijing translated it as cucumber in the fifth volume of the Buddhist classic, *Legend of a Poor Monk*. From the Sanskrit version of *Legend of a Poor Monk*, we know that the Sanskrit equivalents of this term are trapusā or trapuùā while Hu gourd and cucumber are just its colloquial versions. Watermelon is called tarbuza by Indians today which originated from the Persian language and bears a clear resemblance to trapusa.