In Mandarin Chinese, the snake is known as "Zhōnghuá yǎnjìngshé" (中華眼鏡蛇, lit. "Chinese spectacled snake", i.e. Chinese cobra), "Zhōushān yǎnjìngshé" (舟山眼鏡蛇, lit. "Zhoushan spectacled snake", i.e. Zhoushan cobra) or, in Guangdong and Hong Kong, "fànchǎntóu" (飯鏟頭, lit. "rice paddle head"). "Spectacled snake" refers to the markings which the snake may at times have on the back of the hood that resemble eyeglasses. In Taiwanese, the snake is known as "pn̄g-sî-chhèng" (飯匙倩/銃, lit. "rice paddle ?"), "ba̍k-kiàⁿ-chôa" (目鏡蛇, lit. "spectacled snake", i.e. cobra), or "tn̂g-ām-chôa" (長頷蛇, lit. "long-chinned snake").