Yi Mok Chabu

Hanjae Yi Mok (1471-1498)

Biography

Hanjae Yi Mok (寒齋李穆) was born in the seventh month in the second year of the reign of King Sŏngjong (1471) in Kagŭm-ri, Hasŏng-myŏn, Kimp’o city in Kyŏnggi Province, the second son of Yi Yun-Saeng (李閏生) who had the title of Chamŭi, Third Minister. His clan was the Chŏnju Yi clan. It is possible that his family had preserved the ancient tradition of offering tea in ancestral rituals, whereas other parts of the clan were already offering water, for tea continued to be prescribed in the rituals practiced among his descendants. In a poem to his younger brother Mi-ji (微之) he wrote:

Our Yi clan has long been a studious one
loving books, not wealth.
Our elderly parents are already white-haired
while you and I are still active gentlemen.
The crane dreams of a pine on a cliff
and the steam from tea fills the moonlit valley.
While you tirelessly advance in quest of truth,
do not look up at the clouds on the mountain peaks.

李氏自文學愛書不愛金
爺孃己白首吾汝猶靑衿
鶴夢嚴松老茶煙洞月陰
慇懃求道處且莫看雲岑

He began schooling in his eighth year, and in his fourteenth year became the pupil of the scholar Kim Jong-jik (aka Chŏmp’iljae, 1431-1492). It seems that his teacher was a tea lover who communicated his enthusiasm to his pupils.

In 1489, he passed the First State Examination (Jinsa-gwa) and entered the Confucian Academy (Sŏnggyungwan). At that time, the scholar Sayun Kim Su-son (士允金首孫) was teaching there and, recognizing his qualities, arranged for him to marry one of his daughters.

While he was studying, the king fell sick and his mother, the queen-mother, ordered a shaman to pray for his recovery. As Confucians, the students disapproved strongly; they went and drove the shaman away with clubs. The king, furious, ordered a list of the students to be made and all but Yi Mok ran away; impressed by his sincerity, the king is said to have praised him and sent a gift of wine. However, he was later sent in exile to Kongju for a time, returning to Seoul in his 21st year.

In his 25th year he went to study in Beijing for a short time. While he was in China he may well have been in contact with scholars who introduced him directly to the Ming dynasty practices of tea and to the main Chinese texts about tea, which clearly influenced his writing.

On returning, he took the Higher Examination and was awarded the highest place. In his 26th year he was appointed to a junior administrative position over the military in what is now South Hamgyŏng Province (in North Korea) but in the following year he was given leave and continued his studies in private; in this year his son Yi Se-jang (李世璋) was born.

1498 saw the first of the violent purges caused by power struggles between the pupils of different scholars that were to plague this period of Korean history. In this “Mu-o purge” the pupils of Kim Jong-jik were the target of a rival faction and on the 26th day of the 7th month Hanjae Yi Mok was executed. He is reported to have behaved with great courage, writing a final poem, then calmly going out to execution as if nothing special were happening to him. In 1504 a second, posthumous condemnation was delivered and his bones were dug up, his grave demolished.

In 1552, after a change in factional power, his reputation was restored and in the course of later centuries various posthumous titles and honors were bestowed on him by a number of kings. In 1726, under King Yŏngjo, permission was given for him to be honored in a special shrine (不祧之典), as well as in a Confucian academy in Chŏnju. His grave with its memorial shrine in Kimp’o is still now the site of regular ceremonies by his ancestors. Recently a grove of tea bushes has been planted there, from which tea is made for offerings in his shrine.

絶命歌
Song at the end of my life

To that place where black crows gather
no white seagull should go.
Those crows in anger
will be jealous of its whiteness
and that body washed clean in pure river water
will be fouled, I fear, by impure blood.

Closing the book and opening the window
I saw a white gull playing on the pure river.
I thoughtlessly spat,
leaving a mark on the back on the white gull.
White seagull, do not be angry.
I spat because those worldly people are so foul.

黑鴉之集處分
白鷗兮莫
適彼鴉之怒兮
諒汝色之白歟
淸江濯濯之身兮
惟慮(恐)染彼之血

掩卷而推窓兮
淸江白鷗浮
偶爾唾涎兮
漬濡乎白鷗背
白鷗兮莫怒
汚彼世人而唾也

The writings left by Yi Mok were first collected by his son Yi Se-Jang and printed in the Yipyŏng-sajip 李評事集 in 1632 by his grandson Yi Ch’ŏl (李鐵). In modern times, an edition was published by his descendants in 1914 and this was republished in 1981. The most recent, very fully annotated edition of the Chabu is that by Yi Pyŏng-in and Yi yŏng-gyŏng (Seoul: Ch’a wa saram, 2007).

茶賦 Chabu: Rhapsody to Tea

By 寒齋李穆 Hanjae Yi Mok

1.茶賦幷序 Preface

凡人之於物或玩焉或味焉樂之終身
而無厭者其性矣乎若李白於月劉伯倫之於酒
其所好雖殊而樂之至則一也余於茶越乎
其莫之知自讀陸氏經稍得其性心甚珍之
昔中散樂琴而賦彭澤愛菊而歌其於微尙加顯矣
況茶之功最高而未有頌之者若廢賢焉
不亦謬乎於是考其名驗其産上下其品爲之賦
或曰茶自入稅反爲人病子欲云云乎
對曰然然是豈天生物之本意乎
人也非茶也且余有疾不暇及此云

Among all the things that people possess, sometimes enjoy and sometimes savor, if there is one that a person enjoys through a whole lifetime, without ever growing tired of it, that will be because of its essential quality. Li Bai’s moon or Liu Bolun’s wine were different things but in terms of the enjoyment they gave, they are the same.
I was not familiar with tea, but after reading Lu Yü’s Classic of Tea I discovered something of its true nature and came to value tea immensely.
Long ago, Zhongsan enjoyed playing the zither and composing rhapsodies, while Pengze delighted in chrysanthemums and sang songs; each made the mysterious qualities of their art better known. Although the merits of tea are the highest of all, there has been no one so far to celebrate it. This is like mistreating a worthy person; what could be worse?
Therefore, as I examine the names of varieties of tea, list the districts producing them, grade their qualities, I compose my rhapsody.
Someone said: “Tea means taxes, and that makes people sick, so why do you want to praise it?” to which I replied: “You are right, but heaven never set out to be the origin of everything; that is people’s fault, not the tea’s; besides, I have such an immense fondness for tea that I have no time to waste in such quibbles.”

Li Bai : 李白(701-762) One of greatest Chinese poets. His name is also pronounced Li Bo. He lived in the Tang dynasty.
Liu Bolun : 劉伯倫 Chinese poet, named Liu Ling (劉伶) (221-300), Bolun being a nickname. He was one of the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" 竹林七賢 of the Three Kingdoms period. A famous wine drinker, he wrote a hymn praising its virtues.
Lu Yü : 陸羽 (733-804). His Classic of Tea 茶經 is the founding text of the Way of Tea.
Zhongsan : Xi Kang 嵇康 (223 – 262) a legendary Wei dynasty musician and poet, aka Shuye 叔夜, or Zhongsan Daifu (中散大夫 an honorific title). He is said to have composed a 琴賦 Rhapsody on the Qin which he performed a last time just before being executed during a factional conflict.
Pengze : Tao Yüanming 陶淵明 (365-427), a poet of the Eastern Jin, who was briefly the magistrate of Pengze 彭澤 in Jiangxi, which he mentions in poems.

2. 茶名 The names for tea

其辭曰有物於此厥類孔多曰茗曰荈曰寒曰菠
仙掌雷鳴鳥嘴雀舌頭金蠟面龍鳳
召的山提勝金靈草薄側仙芝嫩蘂
運慶福祿華英來泉翎毛
指合淸口獨行金茗玉津雨前
雨後先春早春進寶雙溪綠英生黃
或散或片或陰或陽含天地之粹氣吸日月之休光

The ancient lexicons record tea in many forms: as bud-leaf tea, as mature-leaf tea, as medicine, and as vegetable.
The kinds of tea include: immortal’s hand, thunder-clap, bird-beak, sparrow’s tongue, pure gold, wax tea, dragon and phoenix, imperially summoned, mountain barrier, beautiful gold, spirit plant, profuse, immortal’s mushroom, delicate stamens, good luck and good fortune, prosperity and happiness, floral beauty, flowing spring, feathers and down, causing delight, pure mouth, solitary wanderer, golden tea, jade saliva, before the rains, after the rains, first spring, early spring, tribute treasure, twin streams, green beauty, and sprouting yellow. Some are loose-leaf teas, some are caked teas. Some grow in shade, some grow in sunlight. Each embodies the pure essence of heaven and earth, each imbibes the bright beams of sun and moon.

Tea in many forms : Steven Owyoung notes that here Yi Mok paraphrased the Classic of Tea, Part One “Origins”: 其名一曰茶，二曰檟，三曰蔎，四曰茗，五曰荈. "The names of tea are 1) cha, 2) jia, 3) she, 4) ming, and 5) chuan." But Yi Mok replaced two of the names of tea with 寒 han and 菠 bo. 寒 han, cold, is a reference to the medically cold property of tea. Yi Mok took the medical notion from “Origins” as well: "茶之爲用，味至寒." In the medical context in which Lu Yü discussed tea and the danger of intestinal blockage from the using tea grown on "shaded mountain slopes and valleys," this passage may be translated as " As for the herbal use of tea, its effect is cold." As for 菠 bo, leafy vegetable, this is a reference to the use of tea leaves as food that Yi Mok read in the the Classic of Tea, Part Seven "Writings on Tea": 《晏子春秋》： “嬰相齊景公時，食脫粟之飯，灸三戈五卯茗萊而已.” "According to the Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan, when Yan Ying (died 500 B.C.) was minister to Duke Jing (reigned 547-490 B.C.) of the State of Qi, he only ate coarse grain, three small helpings of roasted fowl, five eggs, and the tender leaves of late tea and herbs."

The following notes on the names of tea also owe much to the scholarship of Steven Owyoung, especially the identification of certain teas as having originated in a particular Chinese dynasty: Tang (618-907), Song (960–1279: Northern Song 960–1127, Southern Song 1127-1279) or Yüan (the Mongol dynasty, 1271–1368).
仙掌 immortal’s palm: a caked tea from the region of Yüquan Temple 玉泉寺 near 荊州 Jingzhou; a Tang, loose-leaf tea from Dangyang, Hubei
雷鳴 thunder-clap : a caked tea from Zhongding Mountain 中頂山 near Yazhou 雅州; a Tang tea from Mount Meng in the Mount Ming mountains of Yazhou (modern Ya’an, Sichuan)
鳥嘴 bird-beak: a Tang and Song loose leaf tea from Hengyuan 橫源 in Shuzhou 蜀州, Sichuan
雀舌 sparrow’s tongue : a Tang and Song loose leaf tea from Hengyuan 橫源 in Shuzhou 蜀州; Sichuan
頭金 pure gold : a caked tea; a Song tea from Jianzhou 建州 (modern Jian’ou, Fujian)
蠟面 wax tea: a caked tea from Jianzhou 建州 (modern Jian’ou, Fujian); a Five Dynasties and Northern Song tribute tea
龍鳳 dragon and phoenix : two caked teas, 龍團 dragon-round and 鳳團 phoenix-round; general terms for Song caked teas with dragons and phoenixes in the design
[召的] imperially summoned (?石+的): two caked teas, 石乳 rock-milk and 的乳 true milk; an early Northern Song tribute tea of the wax tea kind from Jianzhou 建州 (modern Jian’ou, Fujian)
[山堤] (山挺) mountain barrier : a caked tea
勝金 beautiful gold: a caked tea from Xizhou 歙州 (modern Xixian, Anhui); a Song tea
靈草 spirit-plant : a caked tea from Tanzhou 潭州 (modern Changsha, Hunan; a Song tea
薄側 profuse: a caked tea from Guangzhou 光州 (modern Honan); a Song tea
仙芝 immortal’s mushroom: a caked tea from Raozhou 饒州 (modern Fouliang, Anhui); a Yüan tea
[嬾蘂] (嫩蘂) delicate stamens: a caked tea from Raozhou 饒州 and Chizhou 池州 (modern Fouliang, Anhui); a Yüan tea
運+慶 : 運合 good luck: caked tea from Raozhou 饒州 and Chizhou 池州; (modern Fouliang, Anhui); a Yüan tea
慶合 good fortune : caked tea from Raozhou 饒州 and Chizhou 池州; (modern Fouliang, Anhui); a Yüan tea
福+祿 : 福合 prosperity: caked tea from Raozhou 饒州 and Chizhou 池州; (modern Fouliang, Anhui); a Yüan tea
祿合 happiness: caked tea from Raozhou 饒州 and Chizhou 池州; (modern Fouliang, Anhui); a Yüan tea
華英 floral beauty: a caked tea from Xizhou 歙州 (modern Xixian, Anhui)
來泉 flowing spring : a caked tea from Xizhou 歙州 (modern Xixian, Anhui)
[翎毛] (黃翎毛) feathers and down : a caked tea from Yüezhou 岳州 (modern Yüeyang, Hunan): a Song tea
指合 causing delight: a caked tea from Raozhou饒州 and Chizhou 池州; (modern Fouliang, Anhui); a Yüan tea
[淸口] (靑口?) pure mouth: a loose-leaf tea from Guizhou 歸州 (modern Zigui, Hupei): a Song loose-leaf tea
獨行 solitary wanderer: a caked tea from Tanzhou 潭州 (modern Changsha, Hunan); a Yüan tea
金茗 golden tea : a caked tea from Tanzhou 潭州 (modern Changsha, Hunan); a Yüan tea
玉津 jade saliva: a caked tea from Linjiang county 臨江軍 (modern Yichun, Jiangxi); a Song tea
雨前 before rain : any tea picked and processed before Kog-u (Grain-rain, April 20-21); a Yüan tea from throughout the Hubei and Hunan region
雨後 after rain : any leaf tea picked and processed after Kog-u; a Yüan tea from throughout the Hubei and Hunan region
先春 first spring : a caked tea from Jianzhou 建州 (modern Fujian); a Song tribute tea from the imperial estate known as Beiyüan, North Garden
早春 early spring : a caked tea; a late Tang and early Five Dynasties tea from Qionglai (modern Qionglai, Sichuan)
進寶 tribute treasure: a caked tea from Xingguo county興國軍 (modern Jinxian, Jiangxi)
[雙溪] (雙勝) twin streams: a caked tea from Xingguo county興國軍 (modern Jinxian, Jiangxi)
綠英 green beauty: a caked tea from Yüanzhou 袁州 (modern Yichun, Jiangxi); a Song tea
生黃 sprouting yellow: a caked tea from Ezhou 鄂州 (modern Yüeyang, Hunan); a Song tea

3. 産地 Tea-growing regions

其壤則石橋洗馬太湖黃梅羅源麻步
婺+處溫+台龍溪荊+峽杭+蘇明越
商+城王同興+廣江+福開順劍南
信+撫饒+洪筠+袁昌+康岳+鄂山+同
潭+鼎宣+歙鴉+鐘夢+霍
蟠柢丘陵之厚揚柯雨露之澤

As for the tea-producing regions, they are:
石橋 Shiqiao
(石橋懸 Shiqiao xian in 蘄州Qizhou (Hubei province) 淮南路Huainan-dao)
洗馬 Xima
(洗馬懸 Xima xian in 蘄州Qizhou (Hubei province) 淮南路Huainan-dao)
太湖 Taihu
(太湖懸 Taihu xian in 舒州 Shuzhou (Anhui province) 淮南路Huainan-dao)
黃梅 Huangmei
(黃梅懸 Huangmei xian in 蘄州Qizhou (Hubei province) 淮南路Huainan-dao)
羅源 Luoyüan
(羅源懸 Luoyüan xian in 舒州 Shuzhou (Anhui province) 淮南路Huainan-dao)
麻步 Mabu
(麻步懸 Mabu xian in 壽州 Shouzhou (Anhui province) 淮南路Huainan-dao)
婺+處 Wu + Chu
(婺州 Wuzhou and 處州 Chuzhou (Zhejiang province) 江南東道 Jiangnan dongdao)
溫+台 Wen + Tai
(溫州 Wenzhou and台州 Taizhou (Zhejiang province) 江南東道 Jiangnan dongdao)
龍溪 Longxi
(漳州 Zhangzhou (Fujian province) 江南東道 Jiangnan dongdao)
荊+峽 Jing + Xia
(荊門 Jingmen and 峽州 Xiazhou (Hubei province) 山南東道 Shannan dongdao)
杭+蘇 Hang + Su
(杭州 Hangzhou (Zhejiang province) and 蘇州 Suzhou (Jiangsu province) 江南東道 Jiangnan dongdao)
明+越 Ming + Yüe
(明州 Mingzhou [Mingzhou is now 宁波 Ningbo] and Yüezhou (Zhejiang province) 江南東道 Jiangnan dongdao)
商城 Shangcheng
(商城縣 Shangcheng xian (Henan province) 淮南道Huainan dao)
王同 Wangtong
(王同 Wangtong (Hebei province) 劍南道 Jiannan dao)
興+廣 Xing + Guang
(興國縣 Xingguo xian and 廣德縣 Guangde xian, Jiangxi province 江南西道 Jiangnan xidao)
江+福 Jiang + Fu
(江州 Jiangzhou (Jiangxi province). 江南西道 Jiangnan xidao, and 福州 Fuzhou (Fujian province) 江南東道 Jiangnan dongdao)
開順 Kaishun
(壽州 Shouzhou (Anhui province) 淮南道Huainan dao)
劍南 Jiannan
(劍南 Jiannan (Sichuan province) 福建 Fujian)
信+撫 Xin + Fu
(信州 Xinzhou and 撫州 Fuzhou (Jiangxi province) 江南西道 Jiangnan xidao)
饒+洪 Rao + Hong
(饒州 Raozhou and 洪州 Hongzhou (Jiangxi province) 江南西道 Jiangnan xidao)
筠+袁 Yun + Yuan
(筠州 Yünzhou or 均州 Jünzhou (Hubei province) 江南東道 Jiangnan dongdao, and 袁州 Yuanzhou (Jiangxi province) 江南西道 Jiangnan xidao)
昌+康 Chang + Kang
(?建昌縣 Jianchang xian and ?南康縣 Nankang xian (?Liaoning province).
岳+鄂 Yüe + E
(岳州 Yüezhou (Hunan province) 江南西道 Jiangnan xidao, and 鄂州 Ezhou (Hubei province) 江南西道 Jiangnan xidao)
山+同 Shan + Dong (unknown)
潭+鼎 Tan + Ding
(潭州 Tanzhou [now 長沙 Changsha] and 鼎州 Dingzhou (Hunan province) 江南西道 Jiangnan xidao)
宣+歙 Xuan + She
(宣州 Xuanzhou and 歙州 Shezhou (Anhui province) 江南 Jiangnan / 眞州 Zhenzhou)
鴉+鐘 Ya + Zhong
(雅州 Yazhou (Sichuan province) 劍南道 Jiannan dao, and 義陽君 I-yang chun 鐘山 Chung-shan (Honan province) Huai-nan dao 淮南道)
蒙+霍 Meng + Huo.
(蒙山 Mengshan in 雅州 Yazhou (Sichuan province) 劍南道 Jiannan dao, and 霍山 Huoshan in 壽州 Shouzhou (Anhui province) 淮南道Huainan dao)
In such places, the ground is good so the roots grow deep, while thanks to the plentiful rain and dew the plants flourish.

The eighth chapter of The Classic of Tea consists of a list of tea-producing areas. At the period in which Yi Mok was writing, the modern system of Chinese provinces had not been established, and the names at the end of each note indicate the name of the “circuit” that was used at that time to indicate the region in question.

4. 茶林風光 Tea-forest landscapes

造其處則崆<山兇>嶱嶱嶮巇岏峰嵱<山臭>巖嵲嵣<山芬> 崱峛呀然或放豁然或絶崦然或隱鞠然或窄
其上何所見星斗咫尺其下何所聞江海吼<口突> 靈禽兮翂颬異獸兮拏攫奇花瑞草金碧珠璞
<艹尊><艹尊> 蓑蓑磊磊落落徒盧之所趀趄魑魈之所逼則於是谷風乍起北斗轉璧氷解黃河
日躔靑陸草有心而未萌木歸根而慾遷惟彼佳樹百物之先獨步早春自專其天
紫者綠者靑者黃者早者晩者短者長者結根竦幹布葉垂陰黃金芽兮已吐碧玉蕤兮
成林晻曖蓊蔚阿那嬋媛翼翼焉與與焉若雲之作霧之興而信天下之壯觀也
洞嘯歸來薄言采采擷之捋之負且載之

In the places where tea grows, the mountains are high and precipitous, very steep, with rocks towering sheer; deep, shady valleys abruptly open, then suddenly end, hiding the sun, winding and narrow.
What can be seen above? Stars are close. What can be heard beneath? The roar of streams and oceans. Numinous birds fly singing, outlandish animals gambol. Strange flowers and auspicious herbs reveal lovely, variegated colors. They grow lush and thick, rivers flow rushing and billowing. Even experienced hill-climbers find it hard to reach here, spirits seem to be very near.
In the ravines vernal breezes suddenly rise as spring comes. The ice melts on the Yellow River, the sun shines down on the earth, bringing spring. The plants quicken but have no buds, tree-roots revive, vital energies move into the branches.
Only yonder beautiful tea tree, ahead of all the rest, advances toward early spring, monopolizing the heavens. Russet, light green, dark green, yellow, early, late, short, long, issuing from the roots, rising through branches, sending out leaves, offering shade, spitting out shoots of pure gold, lushly jade-green, forming forests luxuriantly dense, sensuously beautiful, wonderful and stately, like clouds rising and mists thickening, truly the most glorious sight under heaven! I pick and pluck the tender buds. Buds plucked and gathered and loaded on my back, I return to the valley, playing my flute.

5. 七盌茶 The Seven Properties of Tea

搴玉甌而自濯煎石泉而旁觀白氣漲口夏雲之生溪巒也素濤鱗生春江之壯波瀾也
煎聲颼颼霜風之嘯篁柏也香子泛泛戰艦之飛赤壁也俄自笑而自酌
亂雙眸之明滅於以能輕身者非上品耶能掃痾者非中品耶能慰悶者非次品耶
乃把一瓢露雙脚陋白石之煮擬金丹之熟

啜盡一椀枯腸沃雪
啜盡二椀爽魂欲仙
其三椀也病骨醒頭風痊心兮若魯叟抗志於浮雲鄒老養氣於浩然
其四椀也雄豪發憂忿空氣兮若登太山小天下疑此俯仰之不能容
其五椀也色魔驚遁餐尸盲聾身兮若雲裳而羽衣鞭白鸞於蟾宮
其六椀也方寸日月萬類蘧蒢神兮若驅巢許而僕夷齊揖上帝於玄虛
何七椀之未半鬱淸風之生襟望閶闔兮孔邇隔萊之蕭森

Bring out a jade bowl and wash it yourself, boil water from a rocky spring, then observe how the pale steam brims at the lip of the bowl like summer clouds issuing from mountain streams and peaks, and white billowing waves form as if dashing down a swollen river in spring.
The sound of water boiling blows, whistling like a frosty wind through bamboos and pines, while the fragrance of the brewed tea drifts like a ship of war, flying towards the Red Cliff.

Contentedly, I drink the brew and rectify the eyes to the seen and unseen. Tea lightens the body, is this not of the highest order? It banishes ailments, is this not of the central order? It comforts melancholy and sadness, is this not of the succeeding order?

When drinking tea, grasp the tea ladle and arrange your legs comfortably, imagining the immortal Baishi preparing to brew the Golden Elixir.

    On drinking the first cup, the withered entrails are washed clean.
    On drinking the second cup, the lively soul desires to be immortal
    On drinking the third cup, the sick body awakes, headaches vanish, and the mind is in accord with the ideals and moderation of the lofty Old Man of Lu (Confucius) and the great Old Man of Zou (Mencius).
    On drinking the fourth cup, cares and rancor vanish, a vigor ensues like that of Confucius climbing Taishan and declaring that the world is small. It is unlikely that such a gift as this is so easily acquired.
On drinking the fifth cup, lust suddently disappears; like listening to a corpse, it is blind and deaf. The release is like being dressed in a coat of clouds and feathered robes, and urging on the flight of the white Luan to the Moon.
    On drinking the sixth cup, sun and moon seem to have entered one’s heart, all that exists is here on this bamboo mat, the wonder of it is like following ahead of the sages of old Chaofu and Xu You, walking behind Boyi and Shuqi, rising into the heavens and bowing before the Celestial Emperor.
    On drinking less than half of the seventh cup, emotions swell on a fragrant, pure wind, wafting towards the Gates of Heaven very near the majestic forests on the borders of Penglai.

Red Cliff : Chibi 赤壁. The Battle of Red Cliffs, otherwise known as 赤壁之戰 Chibì zhi zhan the Battle of Chibi was fought in the winter of 208/9 between the allied forces of the southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan and the numerically superior forces of the northern warlord Cao Cao. It was mainly fought on the south bank of the Yangtze River, southwest of present-day Wuhan. and successfully frustrated Cao Cao's effort to conquer the land south of the Yangtze River and reunite the territory of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is a major incident in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. and inspired 2 recent movies.
Baishi: According to the 列仙傳 (Liexianjuan, Biographies of the Immortals) by the Western Han scholar Liu Xiang (劉向 ca. 77-6 B.C.), Baishi (White Stone) was a god-immortal who lived on Mount Baishi and was known for cooking white stones as food. In legend, he was a disciple of Zhonghuang zhangren 中黃丈人, an ancient immortal who lived during the reign of the Yellow Emperor. Although Baishi was a Daoist deity, he consumed proscribed comestibles: he drank wine, and ate grains and dried meats. As an alchemist, Baishi made elixers and promoted them as superior medicine. Although he was over two thousand years old, he had the face and complexion of a man of thirty. When asked why he was not fond of flying, he replied, “Heaven is not necessary; happiness is living among men.” Yi Mok refers to the later, popular notion of Daoist immortals as unconventional in habits, demeanor, and dress.

The celebration of the 7 cups is inspired by famous lines from a letter-poem Lu T’ung (775-835) wrote to Meng Chien, thanking him for a large package of exceptionally rare tea. It is now usually simply called “The Song of Tea.”
The first bowl moistens my lips and throat.
The second bowl banishes my loneliness and melancholy.
The third bowl penetrates my withered entrails,
finding nothing except a literary core of five thousand scrolls.
The fourth bowl raises a light perspiration,
casting life’s inequities out through my pores.
The fifth bowl purifies my flesh and bones.
The sixth bowl makes me one with the immortal, feathered spirits.
The seventh bowl I need not drink,
feeling only a pure wind rushing beneath my wings.
Where are the immortal isles of Mount P’englai?
(Translation by Steven D. Owyoung in the Cha Dao tea blog)

Luan : 鸞 is a mythical bird that carries gods, immortals etc
Chaofu: 巢父 a legendary hermit said to have lived at the time of the Emperor Yao.
Xu You : 許由，aka 惡仲 Ezhong, is said to have been a famous philosopher-hermit. The legendary emperor Yao (23rd c. BC) wanted him to rule in his place, but he went into hiding at Mount Ji in Henan province.
Bo Yi : Bo Yi 伯夷, active in the 11th century B.C., was the elder brother of Shu Qi 叔齊. Each wanting the other to become prince, they left home after the death of their father Guzhu Jun, the Lord of Guzhu in the late Shang. Later, they withdrew to the mountains where they starved to death. They are regarded by Confucius as paragons of propriety and right because they opposed violence, and were loyal to the Shang king. Bo Yi is the title of Chapter 61 of the Book of History
Penglai (Mountain) : 蓬萊山 The mythical island to the east where the Eight Immortals dwell or go for banquets. There is no pain and no winter; the rice bowls and wine glasses never become empty and there are magical fruits growing in Penglai that can heal any disease, grant eternal youth, and even raise the dead.
Changhe : 閶闔 the Gate of Heaven. The main portal of the Purple Palace (紫宮 Zigong), a constellation centered on the pole star.

6. 五功效 The five merits of tea

若斯之味極長且妙而論功之不可闕也當其凉生玉堂夜闌書榻欲破萬卷
頃刻不輟董生脣腐韓子齒豁靡爾也誰解其渴其功一也
次則讀賦漢宮上書梁獄枯稿其形憔悴其色腸一日而九回若火燎乎腷臆
靡爾也誰敍其鬱其功二也
次則一札天頒萬國同心星使傳命列候承臨揖讓之禮旣陳寒喧之慰將訖
靡爾也賓主之情誰協其功三也
次則天台幽客靑城羽客石角噓氣松根鍊精囊中之法欲試腹內之雷乍鳴
靡爾也三彭之蠱誰征其功四也
次則金谷罷宴兎園回轍宿醉未醒肝肺若裂靡爾也五夜之酲誰輟
自註唐人以茶爲輟酲使君其功五也

If the taste of the tea is long-lasting and deep, how can we avoid talking of its merits? When a cool autumn breeze blows through the royal library and late into the night we sit at a desk reading countless books without a moment’s rest until our lips rot like those of Dong Sheng, studying so hard that our teeth fall out like those of Han-xi, what but tea can relieve our thirst? That is the first merit.
    Next, after Zou Yang of the Han dynasty read an ode in the royal palace, then wrote a petition from prison to the Filial Prince of Liang, his body was withered, his face haggard, his guts racked nine times a day, and his troubled heart was burning, what but tea could have relieved his rancor? That is the second merit.
    Next, when the Emperor issued an edict and the princes of the various lands submitted unanimously, or when an evoy from the Emperor came bringing an imperial command and the princes welcomed, accepted, venerated and greeted him, what but tea could permit a peaceful exchange of feelings between host and guest? That is the third merit.
    Next, when the hermits of Tiantai Mountain and the immortals of Qingcheng Mountain, meditating amidst the sharp rocks and distilling the essence of pine-roots, when desire like thunder rumbles in their bellies, what but tea could control their passions? That is the fourth merit.
    Next, after parties in Golden Valley and Tu Yuan, when people were in a drunken stupor and felt that their livers and lungs were being torn apart after five nights of intoxication, what but tea could help relieve the effects of drinking? (The Chinese recognize the power of tea to overcomes the effects of wine and call it the “official envoy of hangover-cures.”) That is the fifth merit.

Dong Sheng : 董生, a nickname for the Tang dynasty scholar Dong Shaonan 董邵南 of whom this is said.
Hanzi : 韓子, an honorific name for Han Yu 韓愈 (768-824), an outstanding Confucianist prose writer of the Tang dynasty. His poetry is often playful, and the reference here is to a poem about his teeth, which he says seemed to drop out at regular intervals, so that he could calculate roughly what span of life remained to him.
Zou Yang: 鄒陽 lived in the 2nd century BC.
Filial Prince of Liang: Liu Wu, ?-144 B.C., aka posthumously Liang Xiao wang 梁孝王.
Tiantai Mountain: 天台山 now in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, was a celebrated sacred mountain for both Taoists and Buddhists.
Qingcheng Mountain: 靑城山 a mountain located 60km northwest of Chengdu 成都 in Sichuan province. One main sect of Daoism originated here.
Golden Valley: 金谷 a celebrated garden made by Shi Chong 石崇 of Jin (249 - 300).
Tu Yuan: 兎園 (rabbit garden), a garden better known as Liang Yuan, a garden built by Liu Wu, the Filial Prince of Liang (梁孝王) in the Western Han Dynasty. The site of this garden is said to be in Shangqiu county (商邱縣) in Henan province.

7. 六德 The six virtues of tea

吾然後知茶之又有六德也使人壽修有帝堯大舜之德焉使人病已有兪附扁鵲之德焉
使人氣淸有伯夷楊震之德焉使人心逸有二老四皓之德焉使人仙有黃帝老子之德焉使人禮有姬公仲尼之德焉
斯乃玉川之所嘗贊陸子之德焉樂聖兪以之了生曺鄴以之忘歸一村春光靜樂天之心機
十年秋月却東坡之睡神掃除五害凌厲八眞此造物者之蓋有幸而吾與古人之所共適者也
豈可與儀狄之狂藥裂腑爛腸使天下之人德損而命促者同日語哉

Thus I learned that tea has six virtues: By allowing people to enjoy long lives, it has the virtue of longevity of the Emperors Yao and Shun; by curing diseases, it has the virtue of benevolence of the doctors Yu Fu and Bian Que; by easing people’s minds, it has the noble integrity of Bo Yi and Yang Zhen; by making people’s hearts glad, it has the virtue of the Two Old Men and the Four Greybeards of Mount Shang; by enabling people to become immortal, it possesses the lofty virtues of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi; by providing people with ceremony, it bestows the virtue of civility of Ji Dan and Confucius.
    Yüchuan celebrated it, Lu Yü praised it, Shengyu fulfilled his life with it, Cao Ye forgot to go home because of it. It made the heart of Letian peaceful like spring sunlight quietly shining in a village, it kept the spirit of sleep away from Dongpo for ten years, like an autumn moon shining. It abolishes five kinds of harm, enables progress in eight truths; by the grace of the Maker of All Things I can enjoy it together with the people of ancient times. How could it ever be spoken of in the same breath as something like Yidi’s maddening liquor (wine) that splits the guts, rots the intestines, makes people act against virtue and robs them of life?

Yu Fu: 兪附, a famous doctor, mentioned by the historian Sima Qian as having lived in the 2nd Century BC.
Lu Yü: 陸羽 author of the Classic of Tea, 733-804.
Bian Que: 扁鵲 (a mythological bird which could cure diseases), another name for Qin Yueren 秦越人 the (legendary) earliest doctor of China (407-310 BC).
Bo Yi: 伯夷, who starved to death after withdrawing into the mountains so that another might be prince, see note to section 5.
Yang Zhen: 楊震 During the Eastern Han dynasty , the scholar Yang Zhen recommended another scholar, Wang Mi, for the position of magistrate in Cangyi county, because he had talent. One day, Yang passed by Cangyi, so Wang Mi waited until midnight when Yang Zhen was alone in his guest house to present specially prepared gold and other gifts. Yang Zhen declined the gifts, saying, "I did not recommend you because I sought repayment. Furthermore, if anyone finds out about your action, it will be detrimental for both of us!" Wang said, "It's midnight; no one will find out! " Yang sternly declared, "Heaven knows, earth knows, you know and I know: How can you say no one knows?" Wang was so ashamed that he hastily left with his gold and gifts.
Two Old Men: 二老, Bo Yi 伯夷 and Jiang Shang the Angler 姜尙 aka Lü Shang 呂尙 and Taigongwang 太公望, active ca. 1040 B.C., chief lieutenant of the founders of the Zhou dynasty.
Four Greybeards: 四皓, aka the Four Ancients of Shangshan: Dong Yuangong, Qi Liji, Luli Xiansheng, Xia Huanggong, of the late Qin dynasty. A popular theme in painting.
Ji Dan: 姬旦, the Duke of Zhou, 11th century BC
Yüchuan: pen-name of Lu Tong 玉川盧仝 Tang poet and tea-lover, 795-835.
Lu Yü: 陸羽 author of the Classic of Tea, 733-804.
Shengyu: 聖兪, pen-name of Mei Yaochen 梅堯臣 Northern Sung poet, very prolific author of some 3000 poems, 1002-1060.
Cao Ye: 曹鄴 Tang poet, 816-875.
Letian: 樂天, pen-name of Bai Juyi 白居易 Tang poet, 772-846.
Dongpa: 東坡, pen-name of Su Shi, 蘇軾, Northern Sung poet, 1037-1101.
Yidi: 儀狄, the legendary first maker or discoverer of wine.

8. 現實修行 Epilogue

喜而歌曰我生世兮風波惡如志乎養生捨汝而何求我携爾飮爾從我游花朝月暮樂且無斁
傍有天君懼然戒曰生者死之本死者生之根單治內而外凋 <禾尤山> 著論而蹈艱
曷若泛虛舟於智水樹嘉穀於仁山神動氣而入妙樂不圖而自至
是亦吾心之茶又何必求乎彼也

Now I will sing for joy:
Born into this world, when winds and waves are fierce, to preserve my health, what could save me if I abandoned you? I cherish you, frequent you, drink you, you keep me company, on mornings when flowers bloom, on moonlit evenings, I am happy, no complaints.
    In my heart always there is fear and care: Life is the origin of death, death is the source of life. Keep control of your inward heart, for outward things wither and fade. Ji Kang mentions this problem in his “Theory of Nurturing Health”, but does it mean a wise person must enjoy water, a benevolent person live in the mountains?
    But if one ponders deeply the way in which inner and outer are made one by tea, even without seeking that kind of pleasure, it gradually arises. That is precisely what is meant by “My heart’s tea.” How should I ever again go seeking outside of my heart?

Xi Kang: 嵇康, the author of 養生論 “Theory of Nurturing Health,” 223-262.