Chapter II · The Implements · Section 5: In Tang context — reading “规一曰模一曰棬以铁制之或圆或方或花”

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Thesis

“规一曰模一曰棬以铁制之或圆或方或花” only becomes legible inside Tang tribute tea, monastery tea and literati life.

Text

“The gui mold, also called mo or quan, is made of iron, in round, square, or floral shapes.”

Context

规：压饼的模具，又叫模、棬（quān）。以铁制成，有圆形、方形、花形。

Evidence

• Collation: 各本一致。吴觉农注：唐代饼茶以"规"定型，圆者为"月团"，方者为"小方"，为后世团茶（龙凤团茶）之先声。
• Existing readings: 吴觉农指出"规"即压茶模具：唐饼、宋团、明清砖沱，皆由此演化；"或圆或方或花"说明唐代饼茶形态已多样，不只是圆饼一种。

Analysis

The largest gap between Tang and now is that tea was simultaneously medicine, tribute and everyday practice. 吴觉农指出"规"即压茶模具：唐饼、宋团、明清砖沱，皆由此演化；"或圆或方或花"说明唐代饼茶形态已多样，不只是圆饼一种。 Without that, the chapter collapses into botany.

Conclusion

The section does not give a universal rule. It demonstrates a method: read the text, the annotation and the Tang context together before making a modern claim.

Source: The Classic of Tea, Chapter II · The Implements, section 5; the original is in the public domain.

Storage adds another variable: moisture and temperature. 各本一致。吴觉农注：唐代饼茶以"规"定型，圆者为"月团"，方者为"小方"，为后世团茶（龙凤团茶）之先声。 Old and young tea do not share one shelf life, so “the older the better” is not a rule.

As a new reader, I first took “规一曰模一曰棬以铁制之或圆或方或花” as a conclusion. Reading the annotation to section 5 again, it is clearly a judgment with conditions attached.

Textually, 各本一致。吴觉农注：唐代饼茶以"规"定型，圆者为"月团"，方者为"小方"，为后世团茶（龙凤团茶）之先声。. The point is that “the original” is not a single stable text; name the edition before making a strong claim.