Since ancient times, Chinese has paid attention to a "respect" word, not only "respect" things: respect for heaven, respect for the earth, respect for the word paper; but also "respect" people: respect for ancestors, respect for elders, respect for guests, respect for friends.
Even gathering people to drink tea and drink alcohol must be respected. Shi xian Li Bai once "raised a glass to invite Mingyue", he drank alone, and could only toast to Mingyue.
In the toast of tea, there are also some rules and exquisiteness, which have intriguing cultural connotations.
The seven points of tea and eight points of wine in the title do not score tea wine, and the three kowtows do not mean the real three prostrations.
1
Seven points of tea, eight points of wine
"Seven points of tea, eight points of wine" has an allusion.
It is said that Su Dongbo was relegated to Huangzhou, Hubei Province, and when he left, Wang Anshi had an explanation, asking him to bring back some water from the Middle Gorge of the Yangtze River when he returned to the capital.
Three years later, Su Dongpo returned to the capital for examination, and on the way he deliberately went to the Three Gorges to get water, but he only cared about the scenery on both sides of the strait, until the boat passed through the Middle Gorge, and then he remembered the matter of fetching water.
So he hurriedly asked the boatman to turn back, but the boatman said that the three gorges current is so turbulent, how easy it is to talk about it, the water of the three gorges is flowing down, and the water in the gorge is not also from the middle gorge?
Su Dongbo thought, too, so he took the water from the gorge and went to the capital.
When he sent the water to Wang Anshi, Wang Anshi was very happy, leaving him to try the new tea together, take out the newly given Mengding tea from the emperor, and make tea with the water sent by Dongpo.
The tea was brewed, Wang Anshi personally poured a cup for himself and Su Dongbo, but it was only seven points, Su Dongpo thought in his heart, this old man is so stingy, a cup of tea will not be filled.
Wang Anshi took a sip of tea, tasted it, frowned, and said: Your water is the water of the gorge, but not the water of the middle gorge.
Su Dongpo was shocked, thinking that Wang Anshi was spying on him, so he honestly told the situation.
Just listen to Wang Anshi's model and say: The Water of the Three Gorges is pure and lively, and it is good to make tea, only the upper gorge is lost in frivolity, the lower gorge is lost in turbidity, only the middle gorge water is light, and the best tea is brewed.
Su Dongpo was like an empowerment and suddenly woke up.
Wang Anshi said again: "When you see that the old man is only seven points for pouring tea, you must have choreographed the old man in your heart.
Su Dongpo was told about the central matter, and he was too busy to say that he did not dare.
Wang Anshi also said: This Yangtze River water is not easy to come by, you know it yourself, and you don't want the old man to rap.
This Mengding tea tribute, a year of tribute 365 leaves of tea, that is, 20 catties, the emperor is given, and it is only about money.
Seven points of tea indicate the preciousness of tea and also show respect for the giver.
Fill a cup for you to donkey drink, can you cherish it? Good wine is a little more generous, that is, eight points. Su Dongbo listened and did not dare to respond.
Since then, the story of "seven points of tea, eight points of wine" has been handed down
"Seven points of tea, eight points of wine" is a folk saying, that is, the tea pouring wine can not be filled, the tea is suitable for seven points, and the wine is suitable for eight points. Too much or too little will be considered illiterate.
When pouring tea from a teapot, you should hold the handle of the pot with your right hand and the lid of the pot with your left hand. When pouring tea in front of guests, the service order of first growing and then young, first guest and then main.
After pouring a round of tea, the teapot should be placed on the dining table, and the spout should not be pointed at the guest.
It is advisable to pour tea with seven points full. As the saying goes: "tea is full of deceitful customers", if the tea is full, one will make the guests feel unhappy, and the other is that the cup is full of hot water and it is not easy to drink the cup.
2
Three kowtows
There is also an allusion to the three kowtows.
Legend has it that when Qianlong reigned, he liked to visit the Jiangnan area for private visits.
Once when he came to Suzhou for a cruise, the local officials heard the news and searched around, only to find Qianlong alone drinking tea in the tea house.
These magistrates are stupid, they don't go up, they don't kneel.
They feared that this kneeling would make everyone know that it was the emperor, and that it would be bad if there were people nearby who threatened the emperor's safety.
But they could not fail to pay homage to the emperor's logo, so they bowed down in greeting.
When the Qianlong Emperor saw the embarrassed looks of the local officials, he not only smiled. He was also very interesting, so he cleverly used his middle and index fingers to tune and knocked three times on the table.
This means that when I see you performing the salute, I will reciprocate.
This is one of the origins of the tea ceremony.
Tea has three kowtows, referring to the three kinds of kowtows in the tea room:
First, the children to the older generation. Five fingers are folded together into a fist, the fist is downward, and the five fingers knock all the way to the tabletop, which is equivalent to praying to the wind, just like the usual three knocks.
Second, between peers. The middle finger of the index finger is together, tapping the table, which is equivalent to holding a fist with both hands. Knock three notes to respect.
Third, the older generation to the children. Tapping the table with the index or middle finger is equivalent to nodding your head. If you admire the children, you can knock three times.
Please remember clearly, when toasting tea, don't make a mistake.
From ancient times to the present, pay attention to the Chinese of "respect", truly integrate "respect" into daily life, respect heaven and earth, respect people and things around them, not only live in harmony with all things, but also reflect the virtues of humility of the Chinese nation.