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Saturday, June 26, 2010

Five Elements of Tea

五行相雜,已成萬物。金木水火土乃是萬物元素,然而在茶文化里也蘊藏著“五行”的學說原理。

 

唐朝時期流行“煎茶”,陸羽將“五行”納入“煎茶”的茶道之中。他認為金,木,水,火,土相結合才能煮出好茶。 “煎茶”用風爐,屬金;爐立於土之上,屬土;爐中沸水,屬水;爐下木炭,屬木;用炭生火,屬火。這無形相生相剋,陰陽調和,從而達到茶“去百疾”的養生目的。 

 

現代製茶工藝中,採摘下的茶青(屬木),經炙熱鐵鍋(屬金)“殺青”,揉捻後慢火(屬火)烘焙成乾茶。 “金”克“木”,又被“火”克,性質大變,從而製成成品茶。 

 

飲茶有雅俗之風。雖然簡單的沖泡茶葉過程,也涉及到五行,不過只是包括木,水和土而已:茶葉(屬木),沸水(屬水),茶具(屬土)。那雅飲就定要來一壺功夫茶了。功夫茶就要紫砂壺(茶壺泥料叫無色土,也叫金砂,屬金)和爐火(屬火)。這沖泡也不就屬五行之列啦。也許這就是為什麼很多人相信手攜一壺茶,飲盡世間萬物的原理吧。

 

正所謂品茶如同品味人間!

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Seattle, WA, United States
I grew up with tea, and it continues to fill my life with so much beauty and discovery, pleasure, peace and friends. It is always leading me toward a greater understanding of culture, nature, myself and others. It is my hope to use this space to share the joy of tea and tea culture with you.