Crazy Expensive Tea!(D2911)

Upper-Intermediate - Crazy Expensive Tea!(D2911)

A: 最近新茶上市，我托朋友買了些上好的西湖龍井，要不要品嘗一下？

zuìjìn xīn chá shàngshì， wǒ tuō péngyou mǎi le xiē shànghǎo de xīhú Lóngjǐng， yào bù yào pǐncháng yīxià？

A new tea has just come on the market and I asked a friend to buy some top-grade West Lake Dragon Well tea, do you want to taste it?

B: 哇，那怎麼好意思，清明前的新茶可得上千塊人民幣一公斤呢！

wā， nà zěnme hǎoyìsi， qīngmíng qián de xīn chá kě dé shàng qiān kuài rénmínbì yī jīn ne！

Wow, how could I accept? A new tea before Tomb Sweeping Festival can cost thousands of renminbi for a kilogram!

A: 小意思小意思，我也就這點愛好，好在老婆也理解，況且這錢也得流通一下才有價值嘛。

xiǎoyìsi xiǎoyìsi， wǒ yě jiù zhèdiǎnr àihào， hǎozài lǎopó yě lǐjiě， kuàngqiě zhè qián yě děi liútōng yīxià cái yǒu jiàzhí ma。

It's a mere trifle, it's one of my only interests. Luckily my wife understands, especially as it has to circulate a bit before it accumulates value.

B: 哈哈，說的也是啊，那就托您的福，恭敬不如從命咯。

hāhā， shuō de yě shì ā， nā jiù tuō nín de fú， gōngjìng bùrú cóngmìng lo。

Ha ha, you're not wrong there. Then I'll take advantage of your good luck, deference is no substitute for obedience.

A: 來來來，我茶具都已經準備好啦！是宜興的紫砂壺。

lái lái lái， wǒ chájù dōu yǐjīng zhǔnbèi hǎo la！ shì yíxìng de zǐshāhú。

Come, come, my tea set is already all prepared! It's an Yixing purple-sand teapot.

B: 這一看就是把好壺啊，做工精美，你看你用水淋壺，那水都是慢慢被吸

乾的，透氣性相當好啊，泡出來的茶一定色香味俱全。

zhè yī kàn jiùshì bǎ hǎo hú ā， zuògōng jīngměi， nǐ kàn nǐ yòng shuǐ lín hú， nà shuǐ dōu shì mànmàn bèi xī gān de， tòuqìxìng xiāngdāng hǎo a， pào chūlái de chá yīdìng sèxiāngwèi jùquán。

Looking at it you can tell it's a good teapot, the handiwork on it is so intricate. Look how the water is gradually absorbed and goes dry after you soak the teapot, its air permeability is also quite good. The tea that comes out is certain to have it all: color, fragrance and taste.

A: 您這一聽就是內行人。來來來，嘗嘗看，第一道已經洗杯了，這是第二道。

nín zhè yī tīng jiùshì nèiháng rén。 lái lái lái， chángchang kàn， dì yī dào yǐjīng xǐ bēi le， zhè shì dì èr dào。

Listening to you it's clear you're in the business. Come, come, taste it and see, the first round has already washed the cups, this is the second round.

B: 嗯，沁人心脾啊，真是好茶！您沏茶的功夫，也是一流啊！

ng4， qìnrénxīnpí ā， zhēn shì hǎo chá！ nín qī chá de gōngfu， yě shì yīliú ā！

Yeah, it's so revitalizing, it's really good tea! Your tea brewing technique is also of the best quality!

A: 過獎過獎啦，茶道本來就該與人分享才有意義，這茶文化裏可蘊含了我們老祖宗幾千年的智慧和修養啊。

guòjiǎng guòjiǎng la， chádào běnlái jiù gāi yǔ rén fēnxiǎng cái yǒu yìyì， zhè chá wénhuà lǐ kě yùnhán le wǒmen lǎo zǔzōng jǐ qiān nián de zhìhuì hé xiūyǎng ā。

You're too kind, the art of tea is only meaningful when sharing with people. Tea culture holds several thousand years of the wisdom and cultivation of our forebearers.

B: 說的沒錯，可惜現在年輕人啊都熱衷於西洋的咖啡，靜不下心來去體悟茶道和茶藝的美好。

shuō de méicuò， kěxī xiànzài niánqīngrén ā dōu rèzhōngyú xīyáng de kāfēi， jìng bùxià xīn lái qù tǐwù chádào hé cháyì de měihǎo。

That's right, it's a pity that young people these days are so passionate about Western

coffee, and can't calm down enough to experience the beauty of tea ceremonies and the art of tea.

A: 那是因為我們老啦，有大把的時間，哈哈。來來來，我這還有碧螺春、鐵观音、雲南普洱，既然來了就都嘗嘗看。

nà shì yīnwèi wǒmen lǎo la， yǒu dàbǎ de shíjiān， hāhā。 lái lái lái， wǒ zhè háiyǒu Bìluóchūn、 Tiěguānyīn、 Yúnnán Pǔěr， jìrán lái le jiù dōu chángchang kàn。

That's because we're old and have a lot of time on our hands, ha ha. Come, come, I also have biluochun, tieguanyin and Yunnan pu'er, given that you're here, you should taste them all.

B: 好家伙，綠茶、青茶、黑茶，一樣都沒落下啊，我喝鐵观音吧，比較溫和。

hǎo jiāhuo， lǜchá、 qīngchá、 hēichá， yī yàng dōu méi làxià ā， wǒ hē Tiěguānyīn ba， bǐjiào wēnhé。

Good man, green tea, oolong tea, fermented tea, no kind has been left out. I'll drink tieguanyin, as it's milder.

A: 好啊好啊，沒問題，綠茶性太涼，普洱呢不是人人都喜歡那個味道，確實是鐵观音最適合。

hǎo a hǎo a， méiwèntí， lǜchá xìng tài liáng， Pǔěr ne bùshì rénrén dōu xǐhuan nàge wèidao， quèshí shì Tiěguānyīn zuì shìhé。

OK, OK, no problem, green tea is too cooling in its essence and not everyone likes the taste of pu'er, so tieguanyin is the most suitable.

B: 謝謝啦！老友相聚，以茶代酒、談天說地，真是愜意。

xièxie la！ lǎo yǒu xiāngjù， yǐ chá dài jiǔ、 tántiānshuōdì， zhēn shì qièyì。

Thanks! Having old friends come together, with tea in place of alcohol and chatting about all sorts of things, is really such a pleasure.

Key Vocabulary

托 tuō entrust; to ask someone to do

something 品嘗 pǐncháng to taste; to try 小意思 xiǎoyìsi a mere trifle 流通 liútōng to circulate 托您的福 tuōnín de fú to take advantage of your luck 恭敬不如從命 gōngjìng bùrú deference is no cóngmìng substitute for obedience 茶具 chájù tea set 紫砂壺 zǐshāhú (Yixing) purple-sand teapot 透氣性 tòuqìxìng air permeability 色香味俱全 sèxiāngwèi jùquán to have good color, fragrance and taste 內行 nèiháng industry insider 沁人心脾 qìnrénxīnpí refreshing to the mind 沏茶 qīchá to brew tea 蘊含 yùnhán to hold; to contain; to accumulate 熱衷於 rèzhōngyú to be passionate about 溫和 wēnhé mild 以茶代酒 yǐchá dài jiǔ use tea in place of alcohol (in toasts) 愜意 qièyì contented Supplementary Vocabulary

外行人 wàihángrén layman, amateur 功夫茶 gōngfūchá accomplished tea making