‘巴蜀’ (Bā Shǔ) is a classical Chinese term referring collectively to the ancient states of Ba and Shu, located in what is now Sichuan Province and the Chongqing municipality. ‘巴’ originally denoted a people and kingdom in the eastern Sichuan Basin and the Three Gorges area, while ‘蜀’ referred to the more western, agriculturally rich Chengdu Plain region—home to the ancient Shu Kingdom and later the Shu Han state during the Three Kingdoms period.

Today, ‘巴蜀’ is used mainly in historical, cultural, and literary contexts to evoke the shared geography, dialect, cuisine, and traditions of this distinctive southwestern region. It appears frequently in poetry, academic writing, tourism promotion, and discussions of regional identity—never in casual daily speech. The term carries connotations of natural beauty, resilience, and cultural uniqueness, often contrasted with central or northern Chinese traditions.