Chapter IV · The Vessels · Section 2: Words and things — reading “鍑以生铁为之其内模土而外模沙土滑于内易其摩涤”

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Thesis

The key words in “鍑以生铁为之其内模土而外模沙土滑于内易其摩涤” are not ornament. They mark where Tang tea names, vessels and provenance meet.

Text

“The fu cauldron is made of raw iron. Its inner mold is clay, so the inside is smooth and easy to scour; its outer mold is sand, so the outside is rough and endures the flame.”

Context

鍑（fù）：煮水的锅。内壁用土模使其光滑易洗，外壁用沙模使其粗糙耐烧。

Evidence

• Collation: “其内模土，而外模沙”：百川学海本作此，四库本同；历代注家对"模土模沙"的铸造工艺阐释一致。
• Existing readings: 吴觉农评此句为"冶铸常识的精准表述"：内壁光洁减少茶味附着、便于清洗，外壁粗糙增大受热面积、耐烧耐用——一锅两性，匠心尽显。

Analysis

The annotation matters less as philology than as a distinction between name and thing. “其内模土，而外模沙”：百川学海本作此，四库本同；历代注家对"模土模沙"的铸造工艺阐释一致。 Once names settle, picking, grading and trade can share a language.

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 IV · The Vessels, section 2; the original is in the public domain.

Textually, “其内模土，而外模沙”：百川学海本作此，四库本同；历代注家对"模土模沙"的铸造工艺阐释一致。. The point is that “the original” is not a single stable text; name the edition before making a strong claim.

A maker reads “鍑以生铁为之其内模土而外模沙土滑于内易其摩涤” through weather and soil first. 鍑（fù）：煮水的锅。内壁用土模使其光滑易洗，外壁用沙模使其粗糙耐烧。 That is not far from how we judge a mountain and a picking window today.

The vessel is not background. 鍑（fù）：煮水的锅。内壁用土模使其光滑易洗，外壁用沙模使其粗糙耐烧。 The same leaf in a different bowl, grinder or sieve changes aroma and texture; vessel and tea are defined together.