Chapter III · The Making: Words and things — The bamboo-shoot-like buds, growing in rich rocky soil, reach four…

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The passage

“The bamboo-shoot-like buds, growing in rich rocky soil, reach four or five inches, like young ferns just unfolding; they are picked while the morning dew is still on them.”

Words and things

The words around “The bamboo-shoot-like buds, growing in rich rocky soil, reach four…” 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.