Qaidam Basin
"Da Qaidam" is a combination of the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of ("dà"), the Chinese word meaning "big" or "greater", and the Zangwen Pinyin romanization of the Tibetan name ("qaidam"), meaning "salt marsh" and referencing the surrounding Qaidam Basin. The Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese transcription of Qaidam is "Cháidàn".