Tea Chapter · Story 1 第一回

Tea Manga 茶漫畫

The Dispute of Tea and Wine 茶酒論

Our first story is 茶酒論 Chá jiǔ lùn, The Dispute of Tea and Wine. It is a short comic debate, thought to date from the Tang dynasty (618–907), and copies of it were found among the Dunhuang manuscripts, the thousands of documents discovered in 1900 in the Library Cave of the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang.

The manuscript names its author as 王敷 Wang Fu, a 鄉貢進士, a scholar sent up from his home prefecture to sit the imperial examinations. Tea and Wine each argue that they are the greater, trading boasts and insults, until Water ends the quarrel.

Here it is in ten panels, read from top to bottom, with lines from the original text and our English versions.

Tap or click a panel to open it full size.

Title panel in Dunhuang mural style. Tea, a celadon bowl with a tea sprout, folds its arms on the left; Wine, a round red wine jar, grins a challenge on the right; between them Water, a small blue droplet, peeks out of swirling waves. Title: The Dispute of Tea and Wine. — 1 / 10

A Tang-dynasty scholar in a pale robe and black cap holds an open scroll and asks the question, while Tea and Wine lean in eagerly on either side and Water watches from behind. The scholar: “Let us ask Tea and Wine: of the two, who has the greater merit?” — 2 / 10

Tea stands glowing on a cloud among floating tea leaves, one arm raised in pride; a palace and bowing courtiers in the distance; Wine folds its arms and rolls its eyes. Tea: “Chief of the hundred herbs, flower of the ten thousand trees.” — 3 / 10

Wine laughs and points at Tea while a king, ministers and soldiers raise cups behind it; Tea looks offended. Wine: “From ancient times to now, tea is cheap and wine is noble!” — 4 / 10

Tea welcomes a long procession of merchants with camels, ox carts and riverboats laden with goods, arriving from misty tea mountains; Wine peeks in, astonished. Tea: “Fuliang and Shezhou: ten thousand nations come seeking!” — 5 / 10

In a mountain monastery, Tea pours tea into the cups of two monks sitting and talking; Water and a sulking Wine look on. Tea: “Drink it as you talk, and it clears away drowsiness. It is offered to Maitreya and to Guanyin.” — 6 / 10

Wine holds up three coins and mocks Tea, whose belly has swollen like the big red drum behind it, beside a tall stack of empty cups. Wine: “Three coins a pot: when will you ever get rich?” Wine: “Ten cups a day, and your belly swells like a yamen drum!” — 7 / 10

Tea points calmly at a street scene of two red-faced drunk men squabbling and a third sitting in a wooden cangue; Wine sweats with embarrassment. Tea: “The charge sheet only ever says ‘rowdy and drunk on wine’. It never says ‘drunk on tea’!” — 8 / 10

Tea and Wine argue nose to nose, steaming with anger, until Water rises up between them from the waves and holds them gently apart. Narrator: “While the two argued, they never noticed Water standing beside them.” Water: “Tea without water, what would you look like? Wine without water, what shape would you take?” — 9 / 10

Tea and Wine stand arm in arm as brothers in front of a teahouse and a wine shop, while Water floats above them sprinkling droplets like a blessing. Water: “May wine shops prosper and teahouses never be poor. Be brothers, from beginning to end.” Narrator: “Read this once, and you will never suffer wine madness or tea frenzy.” — 10 / 10

Read the story as text 讀文字版

Panel 1
Title 標題茶酒論The Dispute of Tea and Wine
Panel 2
The scholar 書生暫問茶之與酒，兩個誰有功勛？Let us ask Tea and Wine: of the two, who has the greater merit?
Panel 3
Tea 茶百草之首，萬木之花Chief of the hundred herbs, flower of the ten thousand trees.
Panel 4
Wine 酒自古至今，茶賤酒貴From ancient times to now, tea is cheap and wine is noble!
Panel 5
Tea 茶浮梁歙州，萬國來求Fuliang and Shezhou: ten thousand nations come seeking!
Panel 6
Tea 茶飲之語話，能去昏沉。供養彌勒，奉獻觀音Drink it as you talk, and it clears away drowsiness. It is offered to Maitreya and to Guanyin.
Panel 7
Wine 酒三文一壺，何年得富？Three coins a pot: when will you ever get rich?

Wine 酒一日打卻十杯，腹脹又同衙鼓Ten cups a day, and your belly swells like a yamen drum!
Panel 8
Tea 茶狀上只言粗豪酒醉，不曾有茶醉相言The charge sheet only ever says ‘rowdy and drunk on wine’. It never says ‘drunk on tea’!
Panel 9
Narrator 旁白兩家正爭人我，不知水在旁邊While the two argued, they never noticed Water standing beside them.

Water 水茶不得水，作何相貌？酒不得水，作甚形容？Tea without water, what would you look like? Wine without water, what shape would you take?
Panel 10
Water 水酒店發富，茶坊不窮。長為兄弟，須得始終May wine shops prosper and teahouses never be poor. Be brothers, from beginning to end.

Narrator 旁白若人讀之一本，永世不害酒顛茶瘋Read this once, and you will never suffer wine madness or tea frenzy.