Hi TeaDave,

Maybe...
Perhaps...
If you quote a small paragraph everyday, we'll be able to amass the complete
book? ...I know that in some areas the copyright law permits a maximum of
photocopying of 10% of the book per time...per time... :")

> The book opens with a chapter entitled 'The Beginnings of Tea.' Lu Yu
> describes the tea plant, and where it grows best. Lu Yu comments that
> tea picked in the shade is not worth drinking. Lu Yu also writes: "One
> must guard against plucking tea out of season, manfacturing that does
> not catch its essence or adulterating it with other plants and herbs.
> Drinking tea under those conditions can only lead to illness."
>
Is that a quote from the book? Luyu mentions that tea grown on the side of
the mountain that doesn't catch the sunlight, or in the valley, is not good
for drinking, as its growth is slow, and the qi stagnated...

I would translate the next quote as: "One must guard against plucking tea at
the wrong time, manufacturing that doesn't pay attention to the details (the
actual phrase is Zao Bu Jing - "Jing" here is not essence, but accuracy), or
mixing it with other wild plants and grass (the words Luyu used are Hui
Mang, meaning wild grass, not herbs)..."

> The second chapter is 'The Tools of Tea.' Lu Yu describes 15 implements
> used for making and transporting tea bricks, such as the basket (for
> plucking), the furnace and cauldron, the drying shed, and storage
> containers.
>
> Next is a chapter titled 'The Manufacture of Tea.' Lu Yu describes
> which tea leaves should be chosen while plucking. "Tea has a myriad of
> shapes. If I may speak vulgarly and rashly, tea may shrink and crinkle
> like a Mongol's boots. Or it may look like the dewlap of a wild ox,
> some sharp, some curling as the eaves of a house." Lu Yu says that
> these are the best of teas. At the end of the chapter, Lu Yu criticizes
> would-be connoisseurs who judge tea only by its shape and texture. Lu
> Yu explains why some textures and colors appear, and ends the chapter
> with "Its goodness is a decision for the mouth to make."
>
....If I may speak broadly (the words are Lu Mang Er Yan..."Lu Mang" means
Rude in present terms, but in Luyu's times, it also meant to speak directly,
broadly)...curling as the eaves of a house (where did Mr Carpenter get this
line from? It isn't in the book...)...

....Its goodness is a decision for the mouth to make...this is a good line,
however it is not in line with the actual text. I would translate it as
"Whether the tea is good or bad, there is another method to determine this
(Ling You Kou Jue - "Kou Jue" is a method like mnemonic lines)...

> The next chapter is 'The Equipage' (this translator uses French
> whereever possible). Lu Yu describes 24 implements for brewing tea in
> detail. Sometimes Lu Yu describes his own personal equipment, even
> telling us about the markings on his Brazier. Lu Yu describes
> instruments such as 'Fire Tongs' (for stoking the fire), the stand to
> hold the cauldron of water, the water filter, tea bowls (cups), a
> container for dregs, and various containers for carrying the equipment.
> Lu Yu even describes how to make a proper carryall and water strainer.
> Among his descriptions, Lu Yu discusses which metals are best for the
> various pieces of equipment, and where the best bowls (cups) are made.
>
I consider this the most important chapter of Chajing. Luyu puts a lot of
effort in writing this chapter.

> Next is a chapter on 'The Brewing of Tea'. Lu Yu describes the steps
> for making powdered tea from tea bricks, what kind of firewood to use,
> where to get water, how to boil the water, and when to add the tea. "At
> every brewing, one pint of water should be used for five cups of tea.
> Take the tea cups one after the other so that the heavy impurities will
> remain at the bottom and the choicest froths float across the top like
> patches of thin ice."
>
Erh...no.
Is "Sheng" a pint? I'm not sure with the measurement, Luyu writes "If one
boils a Sheng (pint) of water, it can be divided equally into 5 bowls (not
cups, they drank tea in bowls then, very rustica, an image I enjoy playing
in my mind!)" then Luyu adds that "it should be at least divided into 3
bowls, and at most 5 bowls. If there are more people, up to ten persons,
use another stove to boil water..."
....The tea should be drunk hot, so that the heavier impurities sink to the
bottom of the bowl while the essence of the tea floats on the top, if the
tea is cooled, the essence will evaporate with the heat; any undrunk tea
would have lost its essence..." there's nothing about patches of thin ice,
sorry.

> Next is a chapter called 'drinking the tea.' Lu Yu begins by explaining
> "Born to this earth are three kinds of creatures. Some are winged and
> fly. Some are furred and run. Still others stretch thier mouths and
> talk. All of them must eat and drink to survive." Lu Yu discusses the
> virtues of tea and where it is most frequently drunk. It is in this
> chapter that Lu Yu credits Shen Nung with the discovery of tea. Lu Yu
> says that there are no shortcuts to making tea, and that each process
> must be completed with attention and skill.
>
....ans here lies the 'method' Luyu mentions in chapter 3...

> Next is a lengthy chapter called 'Notations on Tea'. In this chapter Lu
> Yu lists important people who had something to do with tea, quotes
> references to tea throughout chinese literature, records poems that
> mention tea, health benefits of tea and various anecdotes which mention
> tea. Often times, the anecdotes have nothing to do with tea, but
> mention tea in a list or in comparison to something else. The
> anecdotes, which make up the majority of the chapter, are often vague,
> and seem to be intended for those who were familiar with people and
> politics before or during the time Lu Yu was writing. Two examples:
> "From the Biographies of the Elderly of Kuang Ling: During the time of
> Yuan Ti of the Chin Dynasty, there was an old woman who each morning
> filled a vessel with tea and took it to market. Customers jostled and
> quarreled with one another to buy it. But although she sold from it all
> day long, the container remained full.
> The money that the old woman recieved she scattered along the roadsides
> for orphans, poor people and beggars. Many of the people in her
> neighborhood began to take fright at such marvels and so the Justice in
> the Prefecture had her incarcerated.
> That evening the old woman flew out the window of the jail on the
> vessel from which she sold her tea."
> The following passage is far more vague:
> "Shan Tao-k'ai of Tun Huang in the Chronicles of the Arts: Do not fear
> the hot or cold, but take small stones regularly. The medicines taken
> by the Master included the essence of pine, cassia, or honey. As for
> the rest, he took only thyme or tea."
>
> Next, Lu Yu lists 'Tea-Producing Areas'. This list is ordered by area,
> and contains listings of best, second, and lowest quality by prefecture
> and district, and also lists areas of comparable teas.
>
> Next is a short chapter on 'Generalities.' Here Lu Yu lists possible
> reasons to dispense with some of the tea implements. "Should one be
> lucky enough to discover a clear spring or happen upon a fast-running
> stream, he need not use the water dispenser, the scouring box, or the
> water filter." Lu Yu ends this short chapter with: "However, when in
> the walled city at the gate of a Prince or Duke, if the Twenty-Four
> Implements find their number diminished by only one, then it is best to
> dispense with the tea."
>
In this chapter, Luyu shows his lighter side...he basically divides the
"generalities" into 2 classes - in the wild, and in the city. It reveals
the confucianistic and daoistic nature of Luyu. He tells us inbetween the
lines that if one is in the wild, away from the confinements of social
restrictions and binings, one must treat the making of tea as naturally as
it comes, using whatever tools one has to make the best tea possible.
However, if one is living in a city, or if one is a prince, duke, official
or the royal family, then one must adhere closely to instructions, if there
is but one piece of utensil short, then why bother even to make tea..."since
one's heart is not sincere in making the tea using the all the utensils?"
(my reading)

Danny