Sasha,

If you could tell me which contemporary dictionaries you are using, maybe I
can search through them and see also what their definitions are?


"Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote in message
news
> All my searches in contemporary dictionaries yielded MING as a word for C.
> Sinensis rather that tea as a drink.
> Can you quote your sources?
>
> Sasha.
>
> "samarkand" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Hi there (Alex? Sasha?)
> >
> > Just to point out your definition of 'Ming'. Your definition belongs to
> > an
> > archaic meaning, MING in the past - that's during the Tang dysnasty
> > (AD618)
> > & before. MING indicates more than being the leaves of C Sinensis, it
> > actually meant the flush of TU, and TU did not only meant C Sinensis,
but
> > a
> > collective term of leaves that makes a bitter brew. Both Lu Yu & Lu Yan
> > Can
> > made it very clear in their works The Book of Tea, & Contiuning The
Book
> > of
> > Tea, respectively.
> >
> > MING in present usuage does not indicate the flush, but the drink.
> >
> > Lu Yu was probably the man who single handedly picked a handed to the
> > world
> > the word CHA from the list of words that could have or not meant C
> > Sinensis.
> > He first listed the few words that meant TEA as a beverage: CHA, TU,
JIA,
> > SHE, CHUAN, MING etc, and gave each other specific meaning in relation
to
> > tea. Then he picked out the word CHA and used it as a singular word
> > throughout the rest of the book, thereby acknowledging the status of the
> > word CHA as a PLANT, to indicate C Sinensis.
> >
> > The confusion and debates often arise in Tea as a beverage. But that's
> > another story.
> >
> >
> > "Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote in message
> > . com...
> >> Mike,
> >>
> >> Excellent pages, great info.
> >> I would only dare to make one comment and one addition.
> >>
> >> Comment: I think that translating "cha" as "tea" while 100% right for
> >> general purposes, for people deeply interested in tea certain notes
> >> should
> >> be added. The full and precise meaning of "Cha" is "steeped drink".
> > Although
> >> 99% of the time it is made of C. sinensis, many other plants can be
used.
> >> Translating it to English "tea" is still the best because in English
> >> "tea"
> >> can also be non-C. sinensis (Camomille tea, etc.).
> >>
> >> Addition: There is a Chinese character that means :leaves of C.
> > sinensis" -
> >> its ming2. It combines normal character ming - "name" with grass
radical
> >> (same as on the top of "cha"). Unicode index U+8317.
> >>
> >> On your "shapes" pages you said that you are still looking for the
> >> pinyin
> >> for the character for Tibet mushroom puerh. It is "gu cha" and you
> > actually
> >> know that because its right there on your Rosetta page.
> >>
> >> Sasha.
> >>
> >>
> >> "Mike Petro" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >> > Hi Joel,
> >> >
> >> > Look at my Puerh Shapes page http://www.pu-erh.net/puerhshapes.html
> >> > or my Puerh Rosetta Page http://www.pu-erh.net/rosetta.html for the
> >> > Chinese characters of these terms then look up the characters at
> >> > http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddict for the
> >> > literal definitions.
> >> >
> >> >>I've done a little research, including asking a couple of Chinese
> >> >>people I know, but have been unable to determine this to my
> >> >>satisfaction. Can anyone confirm or correct the following?
> >> >>
> >> >>In both words, "cha" simply means tea.
> >> > Yes, that is accurate
> >> >>"bingcha" is tea compressed into a disc-like shape.
> >> > Yes, that is accurate
> >> >>"tuocha" is tea compressed into a bowl shape (bird's nest?)
> >> > Yes, that is accurate
> >> >>Any variety of tea can, theoretically, be packed as bingcha or
tuocha,
> >> >>i.e. it's not limited to pu-erh. Are greens sometimes packed this way
> >> >>too?
> >> > Yes I have seen greens packed this way although it is uncommon.
> >> >
> >> >>Finally, does anyone know the *literal* translation of the two words?
> >> > pu'er = a town in China known for tea trading since ancient times
> >> > cha (as in puer tea) = cha2/tea/tea plant
> >> > bing (as in cake puer) = bing3 / round flat cake / cookie / cake /
> >> > pastry /
> >> > tuo (as in bowl shaped puer) = tuo2/river/streams/waterways
> >> > tuocha (2 symbols together) = "Bowl-shaped brick tea"
> >> > tuan (as in ball shaped puer) = tuan2/roll around with hand
> >> > fang (as in square puer) = fang1/a square/rectangle/a region; local
> >> > zhuan (as in brick puer) - zhuan1/ tile/ brick
> >> > jin = (I know it means small brick shape but I have not researched
the
> >> > proper Chinese character)
> >> > san (as in loose leaf puer) = san4/scatter/ disperse/ break up
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Mike Petro
> >> > http://www.pu-erh.net
> >> > remove the "filter" in my email address to reply
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>