"Picked out of season, made carelessly, adulterated with wild weeds, drinking it brings illness. The harm of tea, too, is like that of ginseng."
"In Shannan Circuit, Xiazhou is best, Xiangzhou and Jingzhou next, and Hengzhou lowest."
"As for the ground: the finest tea grows in shattered rock, the middling in gravelly loam, and the inferior in yellow clay."
"In Jiannan Circuit, Pengzhou is best, Mianzhou and Shuzhou next, Qiongzhou next, and Yazhou and Luzhou lower."
"Yan Ying, when minister to Duke Jing of Qi, ate only husked-rice meals, with three roast game birds, five eggs, and tea-leaf vegetable."
"The use of tea: its nature is extremely cold, and as a beverage it is most suited to men of disciplined conduct and frugal virtue."
"Wang Meng of Jin loved tea, and pressed it on every visitor; the officials dreaded it, and whenever they meant to call they would say, 'Today we must suffer the water-calamity.'"
"If one takes qini in place of ginseng, none of the six ailments will be cured. Understand how ginseng may mislead, and the pitfalls of tea become clear."
"As for the character, it is sometimes written with the grass radical, sometimes with the tree radical, and sometimes with both."
"In Zhexi Circuit, Huzhou is best, Changzhou next, and Xuanzhou, Hangzhou, Muzhou, and Shezhou lower."