Chapter VII · The History: Words and things — Wang Meng of Jin loved tea, and pressed it on…

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The passage

“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.’”

Words and things

The words around “Wang Meng of Jin loved tea, and pressed it on…” 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.