The name "Sānlùn" derives from the fact that its doctrinal basis is formed by three principal Madhyamaka texts composed by the Indian Buddhist philosophers Nāgārjuna ("Longshu", 龍樹), and Āryadeva, which were then translated into Chinese by the Kuchean monk Kumārajīva (pinyin: "Jiūmóluóshí") and his team of Chinese translators in Chang'an's Xiaoyao garden.