Feiyuehui Studios · 翡月荟 · The Jadeite Guide
Study Notes
Zhongshui is central to the appreciation of fine jadeite, yet no single English word captures its full meaning.
This Feiyuehui Studios study separates the two ideas within the term. Zhong concerns the internal texture of the material; shui considers its transmission of light in relation to thickness.
A piece may appear highly translucent without necessarily possessing equally fine texture. The amount of light passing through it does not tell the whole story.
To read zhongshui is to consider structure, thickness and the continuity of light together. It is a practice of careful observation rather than a single laboratory measurement.
Do not ask only how much light passes through.
Ask how well the material carries that light.
FEIYUEHUI STUDIOS · EP03
UNDERSTANDING ZHONGSHUI
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Key Observations
- Zhongshui cannot be reduced to translucency alone.
- Zhong describes the fineness, evenness and interlocking character of the internal texture.
- Shui considers light transmission and its appearance at a given thickness.
- A thinner piece may appear more translucent without necessarily having finer zhong.
- Zhongshui is a traditional assessment based on observing several qualities together.
翡翠种水怎么看
翡翠“种水”包含两个相互关联的观察角度：“种”涉及材料的内部质地，“水”关注光线透过材料时的视觉表现。讨论水头时，也应同时比较厚度。
翡月荟 Feiyuehui Studios 用材料观察解释 zhongshui，帮助读者理解翡翠质地、通透度与光感之间的关系，而不是仅凭一个种水名称判断品质。
Transcript
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Original accompanying text, edited for reading.
FEIYUEHUI STUDIOS
JADEITE STUDIES · 03
WHAT DOES “ZHONGSHUI” MEAN IN JADEITE?
Presented by Maggie
In Chinese jadeite connoisseurship, zhongshui is one of the most important concepts used to understand the material quality of jadeite. Yet it has no exact equivalent in English and is often reduced to translucency alone.
That interpretation is incomplete.
Zhong refers primarily to the internal texture of jadeite: whether its mineral grains appear fine and even, and how tightly they interlock.
Shui describes the degree of light transmission at a given thickness, together with the depth, continuity, and movement of light within the material.
Zhong and shui are closely related, but they are not interchangeable.
A fine and compact internal structure will often allow light to appear more continuous and stable. But thickness also affects translucency. A thinner piece of jadeite may appear highly translucent without necessarily possessing fine zhong.
This is why zhongshui cannot be judged by translucency alone.
Structure, thickness, translucency, and the behavior of light must be considered together.
Zhongshui is not a single standardized laboratory measurement. It is a traditional, experience-based assessment developed through the close observation of jadeite.
To understand fine jadeite, we should not ask only how much light passes through it.
We should ask how well the material carries that light.
Feiyuehui Studios explores jadeite through material, structure, light, craftsmanship, and cultural understanding.