Chapter VI · The Drinking: Words and things — Those who cultivate tea may grow several hundred clumps; the…
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The passage
“Those who cultivate tea may grow several hundred clumps; the tree like gualu, leaves like gardenia, flowers like white rose, fruit like palm.”
Words and things
The words around “Those who cultivate tea may grow several hundred clumps; the…” are a small map of Tang tea culture: names of plants, tools, places, and processes often carry a whole classification system.
When a term has no exact modern equivalent, do not force it. Compare it with the closest tool or tea type you know, then note what changes.
A vocabulary notebook is one of the simplest ways to read the Classic of Tea closely.
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.