Chapter I · The Origin: Words and things — Wild tea is best; that of the garden is inferior…
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The passage
“Wild tea is best; that of the garden is inferior. On sunny cliffs beneath shady woods, the purple buds are best and the green ones inferior; buds like bamboo shoots are best, slender sprouts inferior; leaves that curl are best, leaves that spread open inferior.”
Words and things
The words around “Wild tea is best; that of the garden is inferior…” 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.