Sutra is translated into Chinese as 经, or 經 in traditional writing. The radical 糸 comes from the picture of a spool of thread, hence “silk” and “thread”, the 巠 is both phonetic and radical here, which means the vertical threads on a weaving loop. So a Jing is indeed the book to regulate or coordinate or braid the ideas or teachings together into a scripture or treatise.

Tea could be one of the sutras for Chinese history and literature. Wine could be another intriguing thread, sometimes astringent, sometimes mellow, sometimes vigorous. Many a time the threads of tea, wine and poetry are intertwined that you wonder whether they were heaven trio.

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