"For tea of rare freshness and rich fragrance, pour but three bowls; for that of the second grade, five. With five guests, serve three bowls; with seven, five. With fewer than six,
"Its tree resembles the gualu; its leaves the gardenia; its flowers the white rose; its fruit the palm-nut; its stem the clove; its root the walnut."
"From picking to sealing there are seven processes; from barbarian boots to frosted lotus there are eight grades."
"Tea has nine difficulties: the making, the judging, the vessels, the fire, the water, the roasting, the grinding, the brewing, and the drinking."
"Those planted without firm rooting rarely flourish. The method is like growing melons: after three years the leaves may be gathered."
"The buds that sprout from dense thickets, with three, four, or five shoots, are picked by selecting those that rise most boldly."
"Alas! Heaven nurtures all things, and each has its utmost subtlety. Yet what men labor at is only the shallow and easy. They dwell in houses, and houses are refined to the utmost;
"It has five names: cha, jia, she, ming, and chuan."
"On rainy days do not pick; on clear days with clouds do not pick; only on perfectly clear days pick."
"As a beverage, tea began with Shennong, the Divine Farmer, and became known through the Duke of Zhou of Lu."