Fable
Fire a hundred cups first, then keep twelve
The porcelain kiln fired cups, and after coming out of the kiln they were always uneven. The master could not send every one as tribute, so he picked them one by one under the light: cracked, crooked-bottomed, and muddy-glazed ones were set aside, and only the qualified ones were stamped.
The apprentice asked: if they will be discarded anyway, why not fire only the good cup from the start? The master said the heat fluctuates and the clay has its own temper; firing several and then choosing is often more reliable than betting on one perfect piece.
The first round of selection was too coarse—many cups looked round but only seeped water when filled with hot tea. In the second round, the master added a water test, a tap test, and a level check. More were rejected, and those that remained were more reliable.
But the kiln owners also looked at the ledger: firing too much wastes firewood, and selecting too strictly leaves no cups to deliver. So they set different thresholds for tribute cups, daily-use cups, and practice cups.
The kiln owner once tried firing only one most carefully made cup. The master watched over it all night, but when it came out of the kiln it still cracked from a gust of cold wind. He then tried lowering the standard; the cups could all be sold, but half a cart was returned when they were sent as tribute.
Later, an extra batch was fired in the kiln according to use, and after coming out of the kiln they were selected in three rounds: under the lamp, on the table, and in water. Cracked ones were discarded, slightly crooked ones were sold to tea stalls, and those with proper glaze color were sent to the government office. Discarding bad cups may seem wasteful, but it made the cups finally delivered more reliable. Fire and clay involve uncertainty; generating multiple candidates first and then rejecting the unqualified ones by standard is often more reliable than gambling on one perfect attempt.
The kiln master also learned to control quantity by cost. Too few candidates, and you can't pick good cups; firing too many wastes firewood. True craftsmanship is knowing how many to produce, what standard to filter by, and whether rejected cups can be repurposed. The kiln master also learned to control quantity by cost. Too few candidates, and you can't pick good cups; firing too many wastes firewood. True craftsmanship is knowing how many to produce, what standard to filter by, and whether rejected cups can be repurposed. The kiln master also learned to control quantity by cost. Too few candidates, and you can't pick good cups; firing too many wastes firewood. True craftsmanship is knowing how many to produce, what standard to filter by, and whether rejected cups can be repurposed.
This method relies on first generating multiple candidates, then rejecting the unqualified ones according to criteria. It cannot replace good kiln craft, but amid uncertain kiln outcomes it can raise the quality of what is finally delivered.