Chapter X · The Illustration: Words and things — Write it out on silk, in four or six panels…

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The passage

“Write it out on silk, in four or six panels, and place them by your seat — then the Origin, the Implements, the Making, the Vessels, the Brewing, the Drinking, the History, the Producing Regions, and the Omissions are all kept before your eyes.”

Words and things

The words around “Write it out on silk, in four or six panels…” 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.