Saturday, May 18, 2013

TEA

chaa: tea.

泡茶 pou chaa: to make tea.
pou: bubbles, suds; blister; soak.

綠茶 luk chaa: green tea.
luk: green; chlorine.

飲茶 yam chaa: to have tea and refreshments / to have dimsum lunch (Cantonese).
yam: drink; swallow.

奶茶 naai chaa: milk tea.
naai: milk; woman's breasts; nurse.

茶葉 chaa yip: tea-leaves.
yip: leaf, petal; page of book.

茶杯 chaa pui: teacup / tea-glass or cup.

茶包chaa baau: tea bag.
baau: wrap, pack, bundle; package.

普洱茶 pou nei chaa: Pu'er tea from the Pu'er region of Yunnan.
pou: universal, general, widespread.
yi, nei: a lake in Yunnan.


珍珠奶茶 jan jyu naai chaa: pearl milk tea / tapioca milk tea / bubble milk tea.
jan: precious, valuable, rare.
jyu: precious stone, gem, jewel, pearl.
naai: milk; woman's breasts; nurse.

品茶 ban​ chaa​: to taste tea / to sip tea.
ban: article, product, commodity.

茶樹 chaa syu:​ tea tree / Camellia sinensis.

品茗 ban ming: to taste tea / to sip tea.
ming: tea; tea plant.

抹茶 maat chaa:​ green tea powder.
maat, mut: smear, apply, wipe off, erase.

茶座 chaa jo:​ teahouse / tea-stall with seats / tea-garden or teahouse seat.
jo: seat; stand, base.

chai:​ to steep (tea).

清茶 cheng chaa:​ green tea / only tea (without food).
cheng, ching: clear, pure, clean; peaceful.

烏龍茶 wu lung chaa: Oolong tea.
wu: crow, rook, raven; black, dark.
lung: dragon; symbolic of emperor.

茶點 chaa dim:​ tea and cake / refreshments / tea and dimsun 點心, traditional Hong Kong lunch.
dim: dot, speck, spot; point, degree.

花茶 faa chaa:​ scented tea.
faa: flower; blossoms.

茶藝 chaa ngai:​ the art of tea.
ngai: art; talent, ability; craft.

茶莊 chaa jong: tea shop.

jong: village, hamlet; villa; surname.

涼茶 leung chaa: Chinese herb tea.
leung: cool, cold; disheartened.

茶具chaa geui: tea set / tea service.
geui: tool, implement; draw up, write.

茶葉蛋 chaa yip daan: tea egg.
yip; sip: leaf, petal; page of book; period.
daan: eggs.

春茶cheun cha: spring tea / tea-leaves gathered at spring time.
cheun: spring; wanton.

珍奶 jan naai:​ abbr. for pearl milk tea 珍珠奶茶.
jan: precious, valuable, rare.
naai: milk; woman's breasts; nurse.

菊花茶 guk faa chaa: chrysanthemum tea.
guk: chrysanthemum.
faa: flower; blossoms.

檸檬茶 ning mung chaa: lemon tea (also: 柠檬茶).
ning: lemon.
mung: type of locust tree.

热茶 yit chaa: hot tea.
yit: hot; heat; fever; restless; zeal.

早茶 jou chaa: morning tea.
jou: early; soon; morning.

鐵觀音 tit gun yam: Iron Godess of Mercy Tea; Tieguanyin tea.
tit: iron; strong, solid, firm.
gun: see, observe, view; appearance.
yam: sound, tone, pitch, pronunciation.

陸羽 luk yu: Lu Yu (733-804), Chinese writer from Tang dynasty, known for his obsession with tea.
luk: land, continental; army; an accounting form of 六 (six).
yu (yiu): feather, plume; wings.

端上 dyun seung:to serve (food, tea etc).
dyun (deun): end, extreme portion; beginning, head.

茉莉花茶 mut lei faa chaa: jasmine tea.
mut: white jasmine.
lei: white jasmine.
faa: flower; blossoms.

茶餘飯後chaa yiu faan hou: leisure time (over a cup of tea, after a meal etc).

拉茶 laai chaa: teh tarik, Malaysian tea with milk.
laai; laap: pull, drag; seize, hold; lengthen.

茶農 chaa nung: tea farmer, tea grower.
nung: agriculture, farming; farmer.

玄米茶 suen mai chaa: genmaicha / Japanese tea with added roasted brown rice.

敬茶 ging chaa: to serve tea (to guests).
ging: respect, honor; respectfully.

fan: to scent tea with flowers / variant of 熏.

yim:​ strong (of tea).

茶馬古道 chaa maa gu dou: old tea-horse road or southern Silk Road, dating back to 6th century, from Tibet and Sichuan through Yunnan and Southeast Asia, reaching to Bhutan, Sikkim, India and beyond.
maa: horse; surname.
gu: old, classic, ancient.
dou: path, road, street; method, way.

茶經 chaa ging: the Classic of Tea, first monograph ever on tea and its culture, written by 陸羽between 760-780.
ging: classic works; pass through.

龍井茶 lung jeng chaa: Dragon Well Tea.
lung: dragon; symbolic of emperor.
ging: well, mine shaft, pit.

烹茶 paang chaa: to brew tea.
paang: boil, cook, quick-fry.

茶飯不思 chaa faan bat si: no thought for tea or rice (idiom); melancholic and suffering / to have no appetite.
faan: cooked rice; food; meal.
bat; fau: no, not; un-; negative prefix.
si: think, consider, ponder; final particle.

黑茶 hak chaa: dark tea, a variety of fermented tea (e.g. Pu'er tea 普洱茶).
haak, hak: black; dark; evil, sinister.

茶錢 chaa chin: tip / gratuity / money for tea.
chin: money, currency, coins.

功夫茶 gung fu chaa: very concentrated type of tea drunk in Chaozhou, Fujian and Taiwan.
工夫茶 (same as above).
gung: achievement, merit, good result.
gung: labor, work; worker, laborer.
fu: man, male adult, husband, master.

波霸奶茶 bo baa naai chaa: bō​bà​nǎi​chá,​ bubble milk tea made with tapioca pearls.
bo: waves, breakers; undulations.
baa: rule by might rather than right.
naai: milk; woman's breasts; nurse.

酥油茶 sou yau chaa: butter tea (Tibetan, Mongolian etc drink derived from milk).
sou: buttery; flaky, crispy, light, fluffy.
yau: oil, fat, grease, lard; paints.

沾唇 jim seun: to moisten one's lips / to sip (wine, tea etc) / esp. used with negatives: never touch a drop of the stuff.
jim: moisten, wet, soak; touch.
seun: lips.

滇紅 din hung: Dian Hong tea.
din, tin: Yunnan province.
hung: red, vermillion; blush, flush.

茶點時間 chaa dim si gaan: tea break / tea and dimsun 點心, traditional Hong Kong lunch.
dim: speck, spot; point, degree.
si: time, season; era, age, period.
gaan: interval, space; place, between.

珠茶 jyu chaa: gunpowder tea, Chinese green tea whose leaves are each formed into a small pellet.
jyu: precious stone, gem, jewel, pearl.

茶飯無心 chaa faan mou sam: no heart for tea or rice (idiom); melancholic and suffering / to have no appetite.
faan: cooked rice; food; meal.
mou: negative, no, not; lack, have no.
sam: heart; mind, intelligence; soul.

紅茶 hung chaa: black tea.
hung: red, vermillion; blush, flush.

茶話會 chaa waa wui: tea party.

茶几 chaa gei: small side table / coffee table / teapoy (ornamental tripod with caddies for tea).
gei: small table.

長島冰茶 cheung dou bing chaa: Long Island Iced Tea.
cheung, jeung: long; length; excel in; leader.
dou: island.
bing: ice; ice-cold.

茶會 chaa wui: tea party.
wui: to assemble, meet together; a meeting; an organization.

香片 heung pin: jasmine tea / scented tea.
heung: fragrant, sweet smelling, incense.
pin: disk, sheet, splinter, strip.

柴米油鹽醬醋茶 chaai mai yau yim jeung chou chaa: lit. firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy, vinegar, and tea / fig. life's daily necessities.
chaai: firewood, faggots, fuel.
mai: hulled or husked uncooked rice.
yau: oil, fat, grease, lard; paints.
yim: (same as 塩) salt.
jeung: any jam-like or paste-like food.
chou: vinegar; jealousy, envy.

快可立 faai ho lap: Kuài​kě​lì​, the Quickly tapioca milk tea franchise.
faai: rapid, quick, speedy, fast; soon.
ho: may, can, -able; possibly.
laap, lap; wai: stand; let stand; establish, set.

粗茶淡飯 chou chaa daam faan: plain tea and simple food / (fig.) bread and water.
chou: rough, thick, course; rude.
daam, taam: weak, watery; insipid, tasteless.
faan: cooked rice; food; meal.

沱茶 to chaa: tuó​chá, ​ a cake of tea, commonly Pu'er tea 普洱茶, compacted into a bowl or nest shape / dome shaped tea-brick / caked tea.
to: rivers, streams, waterways; flow.

殺青 saat ching: to put the last hand to (a book, a film etc) / to finalize / to kill-green (a step in the processing of tea leaves).
saat: kill, slaughter, murder; hurt; to pare off, reduce, clip.
cheng, ching: blue, green, black; young.

焙煎 bui jin: to dry and roast over a low fire (tea, chestnuts, seaweed etc).
bui: dry over slow fire; bake; roast.
jin: fry in fat or oil; boil in water.

茶馬互市 chaa maa wu si: old tea-horse market between Tibet, China, Southeast Asia and India, formalized as a state enterprise under the Song dynasty.
maa: horse; surname.
wu: mutually, reciprocally.
si: market, fair; city, town; trade.

要加牛奶 yiu gaa ngau naai: with milk / white (of tea, coffee etc).
yiu: necessary, essential; necessity.
gaa: add to, increase, augment.
ngau: cow, ox, bull.
naai: milk; woman's breasts; nurse.

不加牛奶 bat gaa ngau naai: without milk / black (of tea, coffee etc).
bat; fau: no, not; un-; negative prefix.
gaa: add to, increase, augment.
ngau: cow, ox, bull.
naai: milk; woman's breasts; nurse.

格雷伯爵茶 gaak leui baak jeuk chaa: Earl Grey tea.
gaak: pattern, standard, form; style.
leui: thunder.
baak: older brother; father's elder brother; senior male 'sire'; feudal rank 'count'.
爵 jeuk: feudal title or rank.

擦碗布 chaa wun bou: dish cloth / tea towel.
chaat: wipe, scrub, rub, scour; brush.
wun: bowl, small dish.
bou: cotton cloth, textiles, linen.

茶敘會chaa jeui wui: tea-time talk.
jeui: express, state, relate, narrate.
wui: to assemble, meet together; a meeting; an organization.

三茶六飯 saam chaa luk faan: lit. to offer three kinds of tea and six different dishes / to be extremely considerate towards guests (idiom).
saam: three.
luk: number six.
faan: cooked rice; food; meal.


ADDENDUM

Keemun: 祁門紅茶 (kei-mun hong chaa) from Anhui (安徽 on-woei) in eastern China is much preferred for expensive English blends.
Yunnan tea, golden tippy Yunnan: 金芽滇紅 (kam ngaa din hong) and 滇紅茶 (din hong chaa) is a black tea developed during the latter half of the twentieth century, primarily for export.
Lichee tea: 荔枝紅茶 (lei-ji hong chaa) is black tea with lichee fragments added, hence a curiosity for export, fine for ice-tea.
Jasmine tea: 茉莉花茶 (mut-lei faa cha), also called 香片 (heung pin: fragrant slivers) comes from Fujian province (福建省 fuk-gin saang), and is very popular among southern Chinese. Its taste is tangy and slightly astringent.
Oolong: 烏龍 (wu-lung: dark dragon), a semi-fermented Fujianese tea also produced in a number of other areas, of which there are a great variety of types and qualities, some of which are quite expensive.
Lapsang souchong: 拉山茶 (laap saan chaa), 拉山小種 (laap saan siu jong), 拉普山小種 (laap pou saan siu jong). A smoky dark tea from the mountains of Fujian.
Yi-Hsing teapot, Small purple sand teapot: 宜興茶壺 (yi-heng chaa-wu) or 紫砂茶壺 (ji-saa chaa-wu).
Gungfu style: 功夫茶式 (gung fu chaa sik), also called 'old folks tea': 老人茶 (lou yan chaa).
Shui Hsien: 水仙茶 (seui-sin chaa: water fairy tea) is a medium-ferment from Fujian province that has a nectar-like fragrance at the higher grades, a toasty smell at the lower end.
Pu-Erh: 普洱茶 (pou nei chaa), a fermented and oxidized pressed tea from Yunnan province (雲南 wan-naam) reputed to be healthful and good for the digestion. You will most often encounter it at dim sum restaurants.
Cheng saan siu jong: 正山小种 (jeng-saan siu-jong), what lapsang souchong is commonly called.
Souchong: 小种 (siu-jong) lesser planting, minor cultivation, sub-variety; the lower leaves, a coarser and less delicate product without the fragrance and sweetness of the buds.
Pekoe: 白毫 white fuzz, pronounced 'pek-ho' in Fujian dialect, 'baak hou' in 'Cantonese', so named in reference to the slight remnant of downy filaments still adhering after harvest).
Lipton: 立頓紅茶 (laahp-deun hong chaa).
Goiwun: (蓋碗 cover + bowl), a handleless cup for brewing, with a lid and a deep saucer. Also called a chaa-jung (茶盅).

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