Chapter II · The Implements: Close reading — The zeng steamer is made of wood or earthenware, narrowed…
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The passage
“The zeng steamer is made of wood or earthenware, narrowed at the waist and sealed with clay. A bamboo tray serves as the grate, tied with bamboo strips. When steaming begins, the leaves enter the grate; when done, they are taken out.”
Close reading
In Chapter II · The Implements, this passage works as a definition rather than a decoration. It sets the terms that the rest of the chapter will use.
The key phrase is “The zeng steamer is made of wood or earthenware, narrowed…”. Read it slowly: what is being described, what is being judged, and what is being left out?
A close reading asks not only what the sentence says, but what it assumes about tea, tools, and the person drinking it.
Reading note
Read the passage once for the image, once for the judgment, and once for the practice it implies.
Practice
- Name one thing the passage asks you to notice.
- Compare it with a tea you know.
- Keep the question open.