頭tóu道dào水shuǐ二èr道dào茶chá

What does 頭道水二道茶 (tóu dào shuǐ èr dào chá) mean?

頭道水二道茶 (tóu dào shuǐ èr dào chá) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "The first pour is water, the second pour is tea." In use it means: The first infusion washes the tea leaves and opens them up, and is typically discarded. The real flavor begins with the second steeping. Good things often need an initial period of preparation before they reveal their true quality. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rabbit.

Literally: "The first pour is water, the second pour is tea."

The reading

Patience sits at the heart of Chinese tea practice. The first hot water that meets dry leaves does necessary work, rinsing away dust and coaxing the leaves to unfurl, but it has not yet become tea. Only after this preparatory pass does the second pour draw out the true aroma and taste. Many worthwhile endeavors follow the same pattern: the first attempt clears the way, and the second finds the substance. Those who judge too quickly, on the basis of the first pour alone, miss what the leaves were always capable of giving.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element水 Water
• Zodiac tie兔 Year of the Rabbit

Source Chinese tea ceremony folk saying, Gongfu tea tradition (工夫茶)

Sits beside

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.