古代人們對盛茶之器具十分講究?！都t樓夢》第四一回《櫳翠庵茶品梅花雪》里，妙玉用六種不同的茶具看人待客。

例1：

只見妙玉親自捧了一個海棠花式雕填金云龍獻壽的小茶盤，里面放了一個成窯五彩小蓋盅，捧與賈母。

譯文一：

Pao-yu watched the proceedings carefully. He saw Miaoyu bring out in her own hands a carved lacquer tea-tray in the shape of crab-apple blossom, inlaid with a golden design of the "cloud dragon offering longevity." On this was a covered gilded polychrome bowl made in the Cheng. Hua period (1465--1487), which she offered to the Lady Dowager.

                                                                                       （楊憲益 譯）

譯文二：

Having heard a good deal about her, Bao-yu studied her very attentively, when she arrived back presently with the tray. It was a little cinque-lobed lacquer tea-tray decorated with a gold-infilled engraving of a cloud dragon coiled round the character for 'longevity'. On it stood a little covered tea-cup of Cheng Hua enamelled porcelain. Holding the tray out respectfully in both her hands, she offered the cup to Grandmother Jia.

                                                                                      （霍克斯 譯）

例2：

然后眾人都是一色官窯脫胎填白碗。

譯文一：

All the others had melon-green covered bowls with golden designs of new Imperial kiln porcelain.

                                                                                    （楊憲益 譯）

譯文二：

The others were now served tea in covered cups of 'sweet-white' eggshell China.

                                                                                   （霍克斯 譯）

例3：

又見妙玉另拿出兩只杯來。一個旁邊有一耳，杯上鐫著“狐瓟斝”三個隸字，后的一行小真字是“晉王愷珍玩”，又有“宋元豐五年四月眉山蘇軾見于秘府”一行小字。妙玉斟了一斝，遞與寶釵。那一只形似缽而小，也有三個垂珠篆字，鐫著“點犀盉”。妙玉斟了一盂于黛玉，仍將前番自己常日吃茶的那只綠玉斗來斟與寶玉。寶玉笑道：“常言‘世法平等’，她兩個就用那樣古玩奇珍，我就是個俗器了。”妙玉道：“這是俗器？不是我說狂話，只怕你家里未必找得出這么一個俗器來呢?！睂氂裥Φ溃骸八渍f‘隨鄉(xiāng)入鄉(xiāng)’，到了你這里，自然把那金玉珠寶一概貶為俗器了?！泵钣衤犎绱苏f，十分歡喜，遂又尋出一只九曲十環(huán)一百二十節(jié)蟠虬整雕竹根的一個大盞出來，笑道：“就剩了這一個，你可吃得了這一海？”