An Excess of Tea
Hulu jushi fanyi
When Huan Xuan had his army, there was a commander general who — because of an epidemic — contracted a feverish illness that caused him to constantly drink tea. He had to imbibe one hu and two dou for his thirst to be satisfied; one sheng less than that amount was insufficient. He drank this quantity of tea day after day, until the family was destitute. Later, a guest visited him and found him incessantly drinking tea. It was the first time the guest had ever heard of this affliction, yet he made him drink a further five sheng, causing the general to massively vomit. A thing came out, about a sheng in capacity and with an opening, its form shrunken and wrinkled and shaped like a cow’s stomach. The guest then ordered it placed in a pan and used one hu and two dou of tea to pour over it. This thing absorbed all of it but then stopped soaking up any more. Touching the little gut, he added another five sheng of tea, which gushed out from its opening. After expelling this thing, the general recovered from the illness and asked about it: “What kind of disease was this?” The answer: This ailment is called huming jia, intestinal blockage as capacious as a hu of tea.”
桓宣武時有一督將, 因時行病後虛熱,更能飲複茗, 必一斛二斗乃飽, 纔減升合便以為不足, 非復一日, 家貧. 後有客造之, 正遇其飲複茗. 亦先聞世有此病. 仍令更進五升. 乃大吐, 有一物出, 如升大, 有口, 形質縮縐, 狀如牛肚. 客乃令置之於盆中, 以一斛二斗複茗澆之. 此物噏之都盡而止. 覺小脹又加五升, 便悉混然從口中涌出. 既吐此物, 其病遂差. 苦問之: 此何病. 答雲: 此病名斛茗瘕.
Sources
Tao Qian 陶潛 (365–427), attributed to, Soushen houji 搜神後記 (Further Records to the Investigation of the Supernatural, ca. 6th century), juan 3, pp. 3b–4a. SKQS. Cf. Li Fang 李昉 (925-996 A.D.) et al. comps., Taiping yulan 太平御覽 (Imperial Readings of the Taiping Reign, 983 A.D.), juan 867, pp. 3b–4a. SKQS.