Max Vasmer was the first to derive Slavic *slonъ ‘elephant’ from Turkic a(r)slan‘lion’. Despite sporadic rival proposals, this etymology has gained gen-eral acceptance. In 1977 V.V. Ivanov suggested a Chinese etymon for the Slavic word, but his attempt had remained unanswered for more than thirty years. In 2011, A. Vovin joined in the discussion and voiced his support for the Chinese alternative. The present author discusses both the Turkic and the Chinese threads and attempts to asses value their value for further etymological research.