吴觉农先生认为：茶道是一种将茶视为精神享受的艺术形式，既是一种修身养性的方式。庄晚芳先生则认为，通过饮茶可以进行礼法教育和道德修养，是一种仪式般的活动。庄晚芳还总结了中国茶道的核心精神，即“廉、美、和、敬”，这四个字体现了品质高尚、审美真诚、融合自然和尊重他人的理念。陈香白先生则提出，中国茶道包括七大义理：茶艺、茶德、茶礼、茶理、茶情、中庸之道及学说，它们共同构成了一个以“和”为核心的文化体系。陈香白提出的“七艺一心”理论强调了在美好享受中实现品格完善与人际间谐共生的重要性。
周作人对此有着更加随意且朴实无华的理解，他把它描述为一种在忙碌中偷得片刻闲暇，在不完全现实中感受到永恒的美好与和谐。在金刚石看来，tea is a way of life that reflects the values and principles one derives from drinking tea. Similarly, Liu Hanjie believes that tea culture encompasses not only the art of brewing but also the aesthetic experience it evokes.
In his book "The Aesthetics of Tea," published in 1977, Kawaguchi Tetsuya defines tea ceremony as an artistic performance that uses physical gestures as its medium, encompassing elements such as aesthetics, social interaction, etiquette, and spiritual cultivation. On the other hand, Kusumoto Shinichi views tea culture as a comprehensive cultural system centered around drinking tea, which includes various aspects like artistry, ethics philosophy religion and culture with Zen at its core.
From a historical perspective Kumura Tsuyoshi regards tea ceremony as an indoor skill or talent through which people can cultivate their minds and refine their characters. Lastly Raku Zeiroku argues that there are eleven profound philosophical tenets underlying Chinese thought background for understanding life; he considers these to be integral components of Eastern wisdom. He also emphasizes that “the Way is the path to self-discovery,” while “Tea Way is both heart-to-heart communication between human beings.”