Is "girdling root" *really* 环根 in Chinese?
To be short, yes. 

環根 is the roots growing around the tree trunk, with time, both the roots and the trunk would grow thicker, to the point when they pressure each other, causing the tree to grow weak and even wither. Here (PDF download) is a study done by Associate Professor Chang Chin Yu from Department of Landscape Architecture, Tunghai University. Sorry it's in traditional Chinese cause I'm from Taiwan (plus Tunghai University is in Taiwan). I believe Google translate can do the traditional-to-simplified work for you ;)