中华茶道的标准美学

文/五花肉

中华茶道的标准美学

文/五花肉

Aesthetics of Standards in Chinese Teaism

中华茶道包含“环境、茶艺、礼法、修行” 四大要素。被誉为茶僧的唐代著名诗人皎然在《饮茶歌诮崔石使君》中写道：“三饮便得道，何须苦心破烦恼” 。在文人雅士的心中，茶道，犹如人生之道，品茶，就是品味人生。

Environment, tea art, rite and cultivation are four important elements in Chinese teaism. Jiao Ran, a poet of Tang Dynasty, also known as the tea monk, wrote in Tea Drinking Song: Entertain Mr. Cui Shi that you will achieve enlightenment after drinking tea for three draughts and there is no need to break up the affliction so painstakingly. As regards to most ref i ned scholars, teaism is just like the way of life, and savoring tea is the way of perceiving the truth of life.

环境清雅幽静

Elegant and Peaceful Environment

中华茶道非常重视品饮环境，通过构建饮茶的意境空间，谋求与自然的和谐统一。不管是自然环境还是人文环境，清雅幽静都是约定俗成的基本标准。

Chinese teaism attaches a great importance to the environment for savoring tea. By constructing an artistic conception space for tea drinking, Chinese teaism strives to create harmonious savoring environment with nature. No matter natural environment or humanistic environment, elegant and peaceful environment is the basic conventional standard.

唐代崇尚自然主义，诗僧皎然曾与茶圣陆羽把茶共叙，“九日山僧院，东篱菊也黄。俗人多泛酒，谁解助茶香。”寥寥数语勾画出二人在寂静的寺院，伴着菊花的清香，品茶论道的优雅氛围。

In Tang Dynasty, naturalism was greatly advocated. Monk poet Jiao Ran once chatted with Lu Yu over teacups, saying on the day of Double Nine Festival, inthis monastery, I see the yellow chrysanthemums under the east fence bloom. Most secular people indulge in wine instead of savoring tea .These few sentences ref l ect the elegant atmosphere where they savored tea and had a conversation in a silent monastery emerged in the faint scent of chrysanthemums.

宋代开始流行布置精巧的茶室，“插四时花，挂名人画”成为当时的标准配置。到了明代，对茶室陈设布置的标准要求更加精细。据《长物志》记载：“构一斗室，相傍山斋，内设茶具，教一童专主茶役，以供长日清淡，寒窗兀坐，幽人首务，不可少废者” 。

Delicate decorated teahouse became popular in Song Dynasty. Four season flowers and paintings of celebrity were the standard teahouse decoration at that time. Since Ming Dynasty, the requirements for the teahouse’s display and decoration became more elaborate. Treatise on Superf l uous Things writes: a hut furnished with tea wares near mountainous dwelling and a boy servant serving tea during the chatting time all day long, are the essential af f airs for the hermits.

茶艺返璞归真

Tea Art Gets Back to Basics

茶艺是中华茶道的重要组成部分。历史上曾先后形成三类茶艺，唐代煎茶、宋代点茶和明代泡茶。

Tea art is an important component of Chinese teaism. Three tea art forms were successively developed in the history—Jiancha (brewing tea powder and water together) in Tang Dynasty, Diancha (grinding tea from pressed form and stirring it up with hot water) in Song Dynasty and Paocha (drinking the infusion) in Ming Dynasty.

煎茶工艺繁杂，茶器组合阵势庞大，包括“炙茶、碾末、取火、选水、煮茶、酌茶”六个标准流程。点茶则明确了斗茶的具体要求和评判标准，蔡襄《茶录》有云，“茶少汤多则云脚散，汤少茶多则粥面聚。以水痕先者为负，耐久者为胜”。明代开始废团茶、兴散茶，直接导致了茶艺的划时代变化，以沸水冲泡叶茶的泡饮法开始兴起，并流传至今。

The process of Jiancha is complex, which requiresa huge tea set combination, including six standard working procedures: roasting, grinding, fire making, water selecting, boiling, and drinking. Diancha has def i ned the specif i c requirements and judgment criteria for Doucha (tea competition). Cai Xiang mentioned in The Record of Tea, less tea with more water will cause the tea scattered on the water; less water with more tea will make the tea intertwine. If water mark appears first, one will lose the tea competition. In Ming Dynasty, loose tea took up group tea’s place, leading to the epoch-making change in tea art that the method of brewing loose tea with boiling water was emerging and maintained up till now.

礼法体系严谨

Rigorous Rite System

除了环境和茶艺，中华茶道还格外注重礼法，“侯汤有老嫩之辨，投茶有上下之分”， 追求礼仪具备、体系严谨。

Apart from the environment and tea art, Chinese teaism especially takes emphasis on rites. The water can be divided into old and fresh, and tea can be casted from higher and lower direction, which is a great reflection of the pursuit of complete etiquette and rigorous system.

“夫珍鲜馥烈者，其碗数三，次之者，碗数五。若坐客数至五，行三碗。至七，行五碗。若六人已下，不约碗数，但阙一人，而已其隽永补所阙人” 。从陆羽的《茶经》可见一斑，这也是中国乃至世界现存最早、最完整、最全面介绍茶的一部专著，被誉为茶叶百科全书。

For the most exquisite tea, the essence should manifest in three bowls. When one pot makes five bowls, the tea does not taste as good. But if you can be satisf i ed with a compromise in quality, f i ve bowls are permissible. If you have f i ve guests, it is better to serve three bowls of tea for them to share. If you have seven guests, then make five bowls and pass them among the guests. If you have six guests, then make f i ve bowls and use the hot water basin as the sixth. If a guest is missing from your gathering, then spirit of the tea must take their place. This paragraph can be found in The Classic of Tea written by Lu Yu, which is the earliest and the most comprehensive tea treatise in China even in the whole world. Therefore, The Classic of Tea is also known as the encyclopedia of tea.

结 语

Conclusion

“品茗谈天地，赏花语人生”。中华茶道源于生活又高于生活，一茶一具都契合标准之美，饱含人生智慧，在历史的长河中历久弥香、源远流长。Savoring tea and appreciating f l owers over teacups are the ideal life of people.Chinese teaism derives from life yet above life. Every tea leaf and tea set comfort to standard aesthetics and contain life wisdom. As time pass by, Chinese teaism reflects the charm of thousands of years while emanating the fragrance of soul.

（支持单位：上海市质量和标准化研究院）