Waste water bowl (jianshui)
A deep open jar that rinse water, discarded first infusions and cup-warming water are poured into. It is the alternative to a draining tray, and it suits a smaller table: a tray needs plumbing or a reservoir, and a bowl needs neither.
Identity
- Category
- Accessory
- Native name
- 建水
- Romanised
- jian shui, jianshui
- Also called
- water jar, slop bowl, discard bowl
- Material
- Stoneware, porcelain or unglazed earthenware
- Typical capacity
- 500–2000 ml
- Skill level
- Beginner
Porosity
Not porous. It contributes nothing of its own to the liquor, so it can be moved between teas freely and washed with detergent without consequence.
Unglazed examples absorb what goes into them, which does not matter for a vessel that holds waste — but it does mean an unglazed bowl left full will smell within a day.
Where it comes from
Chinese, and standard in tea rooms where a full tray would be impractical.
Named here rather than presented as generic equipment. The object belongs to a practice, and TeaHQ describes it from the outside.
If you do not own one
A mixing bowl, or the sink if it is within reach. Nothing is lost either way.
This one is not marked essential. The tea can be made without it.
Brewing methods it is used for
- Gongfu brewing (gaiwan) — A high-leaf, low-volume, many-infusions approach: a great deal of leaf in a small vessel, steeped for seconds at a time and poured off completely, repeatedly.
- Gongfu brewing (Yixing pot) — The same short-steep, high-leaf approach as gaiwan gongfu, carried out in a small unglazed clay pot that seasons over time and is dedicated to one tea.
Care and maintenance
Empty it at the end of every session rather than the next morning. Wet leaf and warm water in a covered vessel go sour quickly.
Other accessorys
- Alcohol burner
- Cha dao utensil set
- Cha he (tea presentation vessel)
- Charcoal brazier (fenglu)
- Cup stand (chatuo)
- Electric ceramic tea stove
- Futaoki (lid and ladle rest)
- Hishaku (bamboo water ladle)
- Induction plate
- Kensui (waste water vessel)
- Kusenaoshi (whisk stand)
- Mortar and pestle
- Podstakannik (glass holder)
- Ro and furo (hearth and brazier)
- Ryoro (senchado charcoal stove)
- Stone tea mill
- Tea boat
- Tea cloth
- Tea cosy
- Tea mat (chaxi cloth)
- Tea pet
- Tea pick (cha dao)
- Tea tongs
- Tea tray (cha pan)
- Teapot warmer
- Water cooling bowl (sukwoo)
- Water filter jug
- Yuzamashi (water cooler)
Sources
This page is TeaHQ synthesis. No external source stands behind the description, the material or the account of how the object is cared for. Where the record names a tradition, that attribution is TeaHQ’s own reading of common practice rather than a citation.
TeaHQ names no maker, brand or shop and has nothing to sell. Nothing on this page should be read as advice to buy the object — the substitute note above exists because owning it is usually optional.
Written comparisons
Where TeaHQ has set this piece of teaware against something it is routinely confused with, and argued the differences out in full.
- Waste water bowl vs tea boat — Two solutions to the water a gongfu session generates — rinsing, warming, discarded first infusions — and the choice is a choice about the table. The bowl sits beside the pot and takes everything; the boat sits under it and catches what runs off.