Chapter I · The Origin · Section 3: A modern tea-science reading — reading “其名一曰茶二曰槚三曰蔎四曰茗五曰荈”

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Thesis

Read through modern tea science, “其名一曰茶二曰槚三曰蔎四曰茗五曰荈” is not a lab result but a set of variables: cultivar, soil, light and plucking standard.

Text

“It has five names: cha, jia, she, ming, and chuan.”

Context

槚（jiǎ）、蔎（shè）、茗、荈（chuǎn）都是茶的别名，唐宋以前各地称呼不一。

Evidence

• Collation: “槚"字：《尔雅》作"槚，苦荼”；《百川学海》本误作"價，苦茶"，今据《尔雅》改。
• Existing readings: 现代学者指出，五名并存反映中古时期南北方言与文献用字的差异；“茗"与"荈"沿用最久，至今"名茶”"茶荈"仍有其遗意。

Analysis

Modern tea science would split “其名一曰茶二曰槚三曰蔎四曰茗五曰荈” into cultivar, soil, light and plucking variables. 现代学者指出，五名并存反映中古时期南北方言与文献用字的差异；“茗"与"荈"沿用最久，至今"名茶”"茶荈"仍有其遗意。 They remain testable, but only with their conditions attached.

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 I · The Origin, section 3; the original is in the public domain.

Water and fire magnify the difference. The same leaf at a higher temperature or a longer steep changes the sweet-bitter balance; the text only becomes operational at the brewing stage.

In Tang context, 现代学者指出，五名并存反映中古时期南北方言与文献用字的差异；“茗"与"荈"沿用最久，至今"名茶”"茶荈"仍有其遗意。. Tea was tribute, medicine and monastery drink at once, not a standalone commodity; the conclusion cannot be transferred without that context.

Storage adds another variable: moisture and temperature. “槚"字：《尔雅》作"槚，苦荼”；《百川学海》本误作"價，苦茶"，今据《尔雅》改。 Old and young tea do not share one shelf life, so “the older the better” is not a rule.