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SQMP ToC   Trace   /   Moon Atop a Plum Tree / Plum Blossom lyrics (in Japan)

聽錄音 Listen to my recording with transcription   首頁

19. Three Repetitions of "Plum Blossoms"

梅花三弄 1

- Also called Plum Blossom Prelude and Plum Prelude 2 - Gong mode, standard tuning: 5 6 1 2 3 5 6 3

Meihua Sannong Also: Meihua Yin and Yufei Yin After the plum blossoms come the plums4

Meihua Sannong is one of the most popular of all qin melodies, surviving in at least 50 handbooks from here in Shen Qi Mi Pu (SQMP, 1425) to one published in 1961.⁵ It is also one of the three melodies in SQMP to have survived in a recognizable form (i.e., not by dapu) into the modern repertoire (the others being #6 Liu Shui and #53 Xiao Xiang Shui Yun). The beginning of the SQMP version is quite similar to that of the modern version, but the second half is quite different.⁶

Zhe Quan's preface in SQMP says that the melody was originally created for flute during the 4th century, then "later" adapted for qin. Most modern commentary seems to accept this account at face value.⁷ However, it should be noted that Zhu Quan did not place this melody in Folio One, reserved for the most ancient pieces. And as the account here will suggest there is no actual evidence to support claims that any version of the SQMP melody of this title had a source earlier than the Song dynasty.

As for plums (mei), there are references at least as early as the Book of Songs (Shi Jing, image at right);⁸ and the earliest reference to plum blossoms (meihua) given in classical dictionaries seems to be from the Jin dynasty or shortly after.⁹ However, these do not mention music at all, and the word "meihua" does not occur in any surviving music title lists until the Song dynasty.¹⁰

The earliest source for a story connecting the Meihua melody to Huan Yi¹¹ and Wang Ziyou,¹² both famous 4th century literati, apparently the Shishuo Xinyu.¹³ a fifth century collection of stories giving much insight into behavior of the times. According to legend, Huan was the best-known musician of his day, while Wang (original name Wang Huizhi) was well known as a recluse. The purpose of the story is to show how such illustrious people could meet each other in a natural way, not requiring the formal introductions common in those days. The earliest versions of the story related here do not actually mention "meihua", or any other melody title, only "sannong" (three playings); and Wang Ziyou is said to have been on a boat.

Melodies of this name are found in the repertoire of many instruments, not just the qin and flute. Two poems by Li Bai mention Mei Hua as a flute melody. Some later qin handbooks say that Huan Yi created the melody for flute and/or that Yan Shigu¹⁴ adapted it for the qin. Yan Shigu was a well-known 7th century scholar not otherwise associated with qin, though he wrote about music. However, these attibutions should be seen merely as poetic evocations of how a melody came into the qin repertoire. Perhaps Huan Yi was the first person to popularize a flute melody about plum blossoms, but it is an obvious anachronistic error to think Huan Yi "composed" the original melody; likewise one could imagine that it must have been someone like Yan who arranged this and/or some similar melodies for qin, but there is absolutely no supporting evidence that he actually ever did so.

Because the qin melody has survived since 1425 with recognizable features, one can theorize that the basic meihua melodic motifs are retained from considerably earlier sources. However, once again there is no direct evidence either to support or disprove this.

In addition, although to my knowledge Meihua melodies on other instruments now tend to be related to the qin melodies, it is not possible to say for certain this has always been the case. Today there are many traditional melodies for other instruments that are completely different musically from melodies of the same title for the qin. The fact that this does not seem to be the case with Meihua may again support arguments for the antiquity of the basic Meihua motifs, but at present such argument is still largely speculative.

The plum tree and plum blossom have great significance in Chinese culture, to the literati in particular, and Van Gulik's Lore has an extensive section on this. The plum tree and its blossoms and fruit symbolize strength and longevity; but it also represents creative power, fertility and female beauty. Paintings often show the scholar and his qin near one or more plum trees, or a vase with plum blossoms on his qin table. The only tree comparable in its signficance is the pine, but in the qin repertoire the pine seems to have been much less popular.¹⁵

One of Zhu Quan's Palace Poems,¹⁶ originally published in 1408, mentions Meihua:

The tall, courtly trees clumped together create a deep shade,
A cool evening with light talk, sitting by a pillar.
For no particular reason emotions rise up, and with it anxious thoughts,
Play until the tune Plum Blossom, and moonlight fills the qin.

The lyrics accompanying the version in Taigu Yiyin are quite interesting, but I have not yet been able to find out the name of the author.¹⁷

As for the alternate title Yufei Yin, Yufei is a popular word for plum. Plums (like plum blossoms) represent female beauty, fertility and sex; Yufei was also a general nickname for imperial concubines, Yang Guifei in particular. However, there is no evidence to indicate this was a connotation of the alternate title.

There are numerous modern recordings available of Meihua Sannong, perhaps the earliest being the one made by Zha Fuxi at the Library of Congress. However, I know of none other than my own that follows the tablature as found in Shen Qi Mi Pu.

 

Original Preface18

Asiapac version from Shishuo Xinyu

The Emaciated Immortal, following Qin Chronicles,¹⁹ says:

As for this piece, in former days Huan I and Wang Ziyou (Jin dynasty, 4th C. AD) had heard of each other but never become acquainted. One day they met on the road, put down their umbrellas, got off their carts and had a discussion. Wang Ziyou said, "I have heard you are quite good at the di (flute)." Huan Yi took out his di and played the tune Meihua Sannong. Later someone arranged these three repetitions for the qin.

 
Music
Ten sections²¹ (timings follow the recording on my CD; 聽錄音 listen with my transcription)

(00.00) 01. Evening moon over mountains and streams ²²
(00.51) 02. First nong: Calling the moon; the sound penetrates the great mist
(01.26) 03. Second nong: Threading clouds; sounds penetrate the clouds
(01.59) 04. The green bird calls to the soul (of Chang E; "actually, the sound of reading books"²³)
(02.41) 05. Third nong: River crossing;²⁴ from across the river comes a (long) sigh
(03.00) 06. Sounds from a jade xiao (end-blown flute)
(03.53) 07. Cool breezes tap against jade (almost the same as Section 4)
(04.21) 08. Sounds from an iron di (flute)
(04.39) 09. Plum blossoms blown by the wind
(05.14) 10. Wanting to finish this but unable to.
(05.52) --- harmonics
(06.04) --- End of modal prelude

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Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Three Repetitions of "Plum Blossoms" (梅花三弄 Meihua Sannong)
Translation of this title is problematic. "Meihua" could be either singular or plural; "nong" literally means "playing". As can be seen in the section titles of the 1425 version, the "playings" of the meihua melody occur in the second, third and fifth sections. There is no information at all on whether this specific meihua melody by itself ever had an existence separate from the overall composition. The common translation "Three Variations on Plum Blossoms" suggests that each time this melody occurs it is different, but in fact, at least in this earliest version, they are all musically identical except for register (therefore the tablature for each must be a bit different). In addition "variations" might suggest that the material between each of the repetitions is or contains some variation on the meihua melody, but this does not seem to be the case.

Regarding early references to music:
15223.78 梅花三弄 "national melody, same as Sanluo (10.1491 三落 no further info); also called Sanliuban (10.186x 三六板])."
More under 15223.77 to .114, but none mentions the story related here. See also next footnote and Xu Jian, QSCB, Chapter 3.B. (pp.37-9).
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2. Other names (some listed in the Chart)
In addition to 梅花三弄 Meihua Sannong, other titles that can be found related to this one include:

1. 梅花引 Meihua Yin
2. 玉妃吟 Yufei Yin
3. 王妃吟 Wangfei Yin
4. 梅花曲 Mei Hua Qu
5. 三弄梅花 Sannong Meihua

Underneath the title in Shen Qi Mi Pu the first two of the above alternates are named as follows: "又名梅花引、玉妃吟 Also called Meihua Yin and Yufei Yin". Here is some further information on these and the other alternate titles listed here:

1. 梅花引 Meihua Yin (Plum Blossom Intonation)
   15223.80 詞牌名，本笛曲 Name of a cipai; originally a di flute song. Mentions one by 賀鑄 He Zhu (1052 - 1125), also called 小梅花 Xiao Meihua. Elsewhere one can find He Zhu's version, as follows (also 將進酒?):
   城下路，淒風露，今人犁田古人墓。
   岸頭沙，帶蒹葭，漫漫昔時、流水今人家。
   黃埃赤日長安道，倦客無漿馬無草。
   開函關，閉函關，千古如何，不見一人閒。

   六國擾，三秦掃，初謂商山遺四老。
   馳單車，致緘書，裂荷焚芰、接武曳長裾。
   高流端得酒中趣，深入醉鄉安穩處。
   生忘形，死忘名，誰論二豪、初不數劉伶？

2. 玉妃吟 Yufei Yin (Yufei's Intonation)
   ZWDCD has only 21296.122 玉妃 Yufei, giving three meanings:
   1. "jade wife"; nickname of Yang Guifei, famous concubine of the emperor Tang Ming Huang. 15489.78 楊太真，貴妃 doesn't make any connection and anyway she lived after the story related here;
   2. plum;
   3. stream in Sichuan.

   Rita Yi (see note in the appendix) points out that a poem Meihua Shi by Su Dongpo mentions Yunü (jade woman, with perhaps the same meaning as yufei) as a loyal concubine of the emperor Dong Hun of Qi (? no characters and 1122-265 BC!).

3. 王妃吟 Wangfei Yin (Wangfei's Intonation)
   Some handbooks with a related melody write 玉妃 Yufei (literally: jade wife) as 王妃 Wangfei (literally: king's wife). "Jade wife" ("plum") was apparently also a general word for imperial wife or concubine. Further regarding this as a possible title, 21295.436 is only wangfei, defined either as "imperial wife" or as Wang Fei, a Tang dynasty singer and dancer given by 穆宗 Muzong (r. 821-5) to 武宗 Wuzong (r.841-7); when Wuzong died she hanged herself. If "Wang Fei" is not a copy error, then the former seems more likely here, with "imperial wife" referring to Yang Guifei (making it the same as Yufei). It might be added, though, that 宣宗 Xuanzong (r. 847-60) named the Wang Fei mentioned here 賢妃 Xian Fei (Virtuous Wife), presumably because of her suicide.

4. 梅花曲 Mei Hua Qu (Plum Blossom Tune)
   This is the the title of the melody in the 1511, which has; lyrics but still seems to be in a primarily instrumental style. The lyrics begin, "溪山青了，滄浪月曉...." (1730 begins same; 1585 changes to "溪山青朗了，滄浪寒月曉...."; 1597 has "溪之灣，山之抝，滄浪月晚....")

5. 三弄梅花 Sannong Meihua (Three Playings of "Plum Blossom")
   This is a title that appears in Jin Ping Mei. However, I have not yet found it elsewhere. 10.xxx; 1/198 has 三弄，古曲名 Sannong is the name of an old melody". It is identified as the same as "梅花三弄 Meihua Sannong", but there is no mention of a "三弄梅花 Sannong Meihua".

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3. Gong mode (宮調 gong diao)
For further information on gong mode see Shenpin Gong Yi and Modality in Early Ming Qin Tablature.
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4. After the plum blossoms come the plums
This woodblock print, accompanying the Shi Jing reference below, is from the Revised illustrations of Plants and Animals in the Mao [edition of the Book of] Poems (details)
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5. Tracing Meihua Sannong
Zha's Guide 4/37/50. Details are in the appendix below. In spite of its supposed antiquity, this title is generally missing from the early qin melody lists. For example, on the lists here it seems to be only on the one in Taiyin Daquanji (but compare Yu Mei Sannong).

Note that some early Japanese handbooks have a melody entitled 梅花 Mei Hua. Apparently new, it has lyrics by Lin Bu and no melodic relationship with the famous meihua melody. See links below.
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6. Comparing early versions
Some comparisons of the different versions can be seen in the appendix below.
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7. Claims for the Jin Origin of the Mei Hua melody
Xu Jian's Outline History, Wei and Jin (pp. 37-39) discusses Meihua Sannong in his chapter on melodies from this period, but the musical examples he gives are all from an unidentified modern version of the melody. For the source of the Jin dynasty origin claim see above.
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8. Early references to mei
15223 mentions references in 說文 Shuo Wen and 爾雅 Erya that say it is the same as 栟 bing; however, it says this is different from the 酸果 "tart fruit" mentioned in 詩，召南，摽有梅 Shi Jing 20 (Waley, Plop Fall the Plums), where a girl suggests gentlemen should court her before all the plums fall. (Image at top).
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9. Early references to meihua
4/1044 gives as its earlest reference a Ziye poem from Yuefu Shiji Folio 45 (Chinese edition p.644, 6th poem of 20 on spring said to be 晉宋齊辭 lyrics of Jin, Song and Qi.)

15223.77 gives as its earliest reference 洛陽訪袁拾遣不遇 the poem In Luoyang Going to meet Yuan Shiqian but Not Meeting Him, by 孟浩然 Meng Haoran.
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10. Meihua in surviving early melody lists
For example, Meihua Sannong is the first melody mentioned under the gong mode in the Taiyin Daquanji list. Other such melody lists are linked under the page Guqin MelodY Lists.
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11. Huan Yi 桓伊
Although a military commander, Huan Yi was also known for his flute playing. 15061.17 says 桓伊，晉，譙國銍人，字叔夏 Huan Yi, from Zhi in Qiao country (north of modern Bengbu, Anhui) during the Jin dynasty, had the style name Shuxia; another name was 桓子野. The entry then relates this story of Huan Yi meeting Wang Ziyou and playing flute, giving Jin History 晉書 as its source (see also next footnote), but it says he played "three melodies 三調, not mentioning Meihua.

Giles, saying Huan was "the most skilled musician of the day", relates not the story here but one in which he played flute and zheng before the Jin emperor Xiao Wu Di, in particular selecting a piece which moved the famous official Xie An, then out of favor, to tears because the lyrics by Cao Zhi expressed the difficulties of an upright official. The source of that story is apparently 續晉陽秋 Xu Jin Yang Qiu (5th c. CE), which wrote,

左將軍桓伊善音樂，孝武飮燕，謝安侍坐，帝命伊吹笛。伊神色無忤，旣吹一弄，乃放笛云：『臣有一奴，善吹笛；且相便中，請進之。」帝賞其放率，聽召奴。奴既至，吹笛，伊撫箏而歌怨詩，因以諫也。 Translated in Mather (Chapter 23/49) together with the account below.
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12. Wang Ziyou
This is 21295.1950: 王徽之，字子猷 Wang Huizhi, style name Ziyou; from 會稽 Kuaiji (Shaoxing?). The entry relates the story that led to the expression "both friend and qin have died".
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13. 世說新語 Shishuo Xinyu
A work attributed to 劉義慶 Liu Yiqing (404-444; see also under Wu Ye Ti), it also has stories about Wang Huizhi (previous). Its account of the meeting between Wang Huizhi and Huan Yi is in the second paragraph of this passage (after a story telling of Wang Huizhi being inspired by Zuo Si's poem to go visit Dai Kui):

世說新語·任誕
王子猷居山陰，夜大雪，眠覺，開室命酌酒，四望皎然。因起彷徨，詠左思招隱詩。忽憶戴安道。時戴在剡，即便夜乘小舟就之。經宿方至，造門不前而返。人問其故，王曰﹕「吾本乘興而行，興盡而返，何必見戴？」王衛軍云﹕「酒正引人著勝地。」

王子猷出都，尚在渚下。舊聞桓子野善吹笛，而不相識。遇桓于岸上過，王在船中，客有識之者雲﹕「是桓子野。」王便令人與相聞，雲﹕「聞君善吹笛，試為我一奏。」桓時已貴顯，素聞王名，即便回下車，踞胡床，為作三調。弄畢，便上車去。客主不交一言。

Translated in Mather (Chapter 23/49).
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14. 顏師古 Yan Shigu (581 - 645).
Rita I's M.A. thesis says she could find no connection between Yan Shigu and either qin or Meihua. However, although 44545.111 顏師古 makes no mention of them, Yan Shigu did write some studies of music. A grandson of 顏之推 Yan Zhitui, Yan Shigu was a well-known scholar official. He is discussed in Xu Jian, Chapter 3.B. (p.37). His explanation of hui is quoted elsewhere. He wrote a fu poem called 聖德頌 Sheng De Song. It has no apparent connection to either the qin melody 聖德頌 Sheng De Song or the one called 盛德頌 Sheng De Song.
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15. Pine as theme (see also plants and trees)
The earliest surviving melody on the theme of pines is the sort setting of Song of Wind in the Pines (風入松閣 Feng Ru Song Ge). A search of the Zha Guide shows several others, but none seems to have been very widespread.
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16. Zhu Quan Palace Poems
宮詞 Gongci; 70 have been collected in 借月山房彙鈔 Jieyueshanfang Huichao. The original poem says: 庭樹園園作翠陰，夜涼清話坐更梁。無端感起閒愁思，彈到梅花月滿琴。
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17. Lyrics in Taigu Yiyin (1511)
The complete lyrics are partially shown here. Those for the first iteration of the "Plum Blossom theme" in 1511 are:

梅花臨水，_ _ _ _。
暗香𦸒泥，綠綺朱絃三弄指。         (猗泥? : 33611「戎禾也 grain luxuriant」? 暗香猗狔? 猗狔 is in 詩經 etc.)
儼然對子期，此曲伯牙師，近高山流水清溪。
梅花雪月底，多少多少清奇（泛音止）趣。

Translation incomplete. The two iterations later in the 1511 version are different. Those in 1571 and 1585 are similar to 1511 but not identical. In 1597 they are different.
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18. Original preface
For the original Chinese text see 梅花三弄.
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19. Qin Chronicles (琴傳 Qin Zhuan)
It is not certain that this is actually a book or essay title: it could also mean simply "qin traditon". Zhu Quan's sources are problematic here as elsewhere. The book of this title attributed to Liu Xiang is too early.
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21. Music
The original section titles are:

1. 溪山夜月
2. 一弄﹕叫月；聲入太霞
3. 二弄﹕穿雲；聲入雲中
4. 青鳥啼魂（即讀書聲）
5. 三弄﹕橫江；隔江長嘆聲
6. 玉蕭聲
7. 凌風戛玉
8. 鐵笛聲
9. 風蕩梅花
10. 欲罷不能
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22. 溪山 mountains and streams
Or a proper name: 溪山 Xi Shan; 18426.xxx, but modern atlases have a Xi Shan (mountain) southwest of Guangzhou.
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23. It's the Sound of Reading Books (即讀書聲 ji Dushu Sheng
Whem I first saw this phrase, both here and as a comment with Section 6 of the melody Xing Tan I thought perhaps the intention was to mimic the sounds people make when reading. After reading the following, however, it seems more likely that the phrase is used to suggest music that has a pure beauty, "pure" here suggesting "elevating" rather than "sensuous". It was written by a Southern Song official named 倪思 Ni Si (1149-1220):

松聲、澗聲、山禽聲、夜蟲聲、鶴聲、琴聲、棋子落聲、雨滴階聲、 雪灑窗聲、煎茶聲，皆聲之至清者也， 而讀書聲為最。 聞他人讀書聲，已極可喜；更聞子弟讀書聲，則喜不可勝言矣。

In www.chinaheritagequarterly.org there is this translation by Duncan M Campbell:

The soughing of the wind amongst the pines, the gurgle of a mountain brook, the chorus of the mountain birds, the chirping of insects at night, the singing of the cranes, the melody of the (qin zither), the clack of chess pieces upon the board, the drip of rain on the steps outside, the thud of snow falling at the window, the gurgle of water boiling in readiness for a pot of tea — all these constitute the purest of sounds. But the purest sound of all is that of someone reading. And if it is a true delight to hear someone else read, then the joy of hearing one’s own disciples read is quite beyond description."

As for other references, 讀書聲 11/460xxx. But although 36928.23 - .57 has no entry called dushu sheng, .23 du shu includes 讀書聲 du shu sheng in a quote from 李商隱，雜纂，富貴相 Appearance of Wealth and Nobility, from Miscellaneous Notes by Li Shangyin (813?-858).

Some other mentions of this phrase include:

新得園林種樹法；喜聞子弟讀書聲。 (from a list of common couplets)
風聲、雨聲、讀書聲：聲聲入耳；家事、國事、天下事：事事關心。（明·顧憲成）

Coming to qin, in addition to the mention of du shu sheng here in Meihua Sannnong and in Section 6 of the melody Xing Tan, there was also apparently once a setting of Da Xue called Du Shu Sheng, and there are also surviving tablatures for melodies called 讀書引 Du Shu Yin (1730, lyrics) and 讀書吟 Du Shu Yin (2: 1556 and a quite different version in 1590). See also the related comment with Du Yi.

Meihua Sannong Section 7 repeats the music of this section, but it has a different title and does not mention the sound of reading. Later versions of Mei Hua which have this phrase include,

• 1547; title of Section 6; quite different music ("青鳥啼魂 The Green Bird Calls the Soul" is the title of Section 3)
• ca. 1551, same as 1547
• 1557, as with ca. 1551
• 1585, title for section 6 (青鳥啼魂 was #5)
• 1589 (VII/17???; not 梅花邊讀易 Reading the Yi Jing by Plum Blossoms)
• 1618 聽讀書聲 Listening to the Sound of Reading Books (VIII/183; similar passage)
• 1670 like 1425 (XI/323)
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24. River Crossing (橫江 Heng Jiang)
Hengjiang may also be the name of a river: 15897.30 = 橫江浦 , in Anhui, not far from Huangshan.

Note that here in the Section 5 there is a harmonic played on the third string between the 5th and 6th hui positions.
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Appendix: Chart Tracing Meihua Sannong;
Based mainly on Zha Fuxi's Guide 4/37/50

In addition, many versions of Meihua Sannong were traced and analyzed in:

Rita Shou-fan I, A Diachronic Study of the Ch'in Composition "Mei Hua San Nung"
M.A. thesis, University of Washington, 1977. In her thesis Ms I traces Meihua through the surviving handbooks available to her, showing how after 1425 it gradually became more elaborate (largely in its ornamentation). There is some further discussion of this under Changes over time in guqin playing style.

Abbreviations: QQJC: 琴曲集成 Qinqu Jicheng; QF: 琴府 Qin Fu; T (Section titles): 小標題; L (Lyrics): 歌詞
                         MHSN: 梅花三弄; MHQ: 梅花曲; MHY: 梅花吟; MH: 梅花; YFY: 玉妃引; WFY: 王妃引

琴譜 Qin Handbook   (year; QQJC Vol/page)	曲名 Title	段數目 Sections	解說詞 Further comments
1.  神奇秘譜       (1425; I/134)	MHSN	10T	"also MH, YFY"; Sections 6-10 quite diff from modern version; Section 7 largely repeats 4 but down an octave; Section 8 largely repeats 6 but down an octave;
.  浙音釋字琴譜       (<1491; I/xxx)			See 1585
2. 謝琳太古遺音       (1511; I/302)	MHQ	10TL	Melody recognizable but changed to fit lyrics, e.g., Meihua motif 1st time is "梅花臨水..." (tentative transcription; compare 1585) but diff lyrics on the two repeats seem to change the motif itself (comment).
3. 西麓堂琴統       (1525; III/71)	MHSN	10T	"Also YFY"; more elaborate that 1425; sections diff.
4. 發明琴譜       (1530; I/382)	MHSN	10	Quite similar to 1425 but less punctuation
5. 風宣玄品       (1539; II/76)	MHSN	10T	Quite diff. from 1425
6. 梧岡琴譜       (1546; I/401)	MHY	10T	"Also MHSN"; rather diff. from 1425
7.a. 琴譜正傳        (1561; II/406)	MHSN	12T	?
7.b. 琴譜正傳        (1561; II/410)	MHY	10T	Same as 1546
8. 步虛僊琴譜       (1556; III/xxx)	MH	10	Similar to 1425, but splits Sec. 2 in two & omits Sec. 9 Folio reprint only
9. 太音傳習       (1552-61; IV/37)	MHSN	10T	"also MHY, YFY"; quite diff. from 1425
10. 太音補遺       (1557; III/320)	MHSN	10T
11. 龍湖琴譜       (1571; 琴府/226)	MHSN	10TL	Lyrics and music related to 1511 Lyrics begin, "溪山暗了，滄浪寒月曉。露濕梅稍，烟縹緲。道人睡覺起來。櫛縱盥漱...."
12. 新刊正文對音捷要       (1573; ---)	MHSN	12TL	Lyrics related to 1511; same as 1585? (not in QQJC)
13. 五音琴譜       (1579; IV/201)	MHSN	14
14. 重修真傳琴譜       (1585; IV/311)	MHSN	12TL	"Also WFY"; same as 1573? Meihua motif ("梅花臨水...") begins sections 2, 4 and 7 Lyrics related to 1511 but they don't fit 1425 so probably not in <1491
15. 玉梧琴譜       (1589; VI/19)	MHSN	10
16. 琴書大全       (1590; V/473)	MHSN	13
17. 文會堂琴譜       (1596; VI/192)	MH	13
18. 綠綺新聲       (1597; VII/20)	MHSN	13L	Related; lyrics begin: "溪之灣。山之㘭，滄浪月晚...."; Meihua theme lyrics begin: 時聞鐵笛.... (it uses 梅花臨水 at the beginning of Section 6, different music)
19. 藏春塢琴譜       (1602; VI/319)	MHSN	10	"Also WFY"
20.a 真傳正宗琴譜       (1589; see next)	???		Only in the QQJC 1609 editon, not its 1589 edition, but perhaps it was in other 1589 editions
20.b 真傳正宗琴譜       (1609; VII/180)	MHSN	13	#4 in Boya Xinfa
21. 琴適       (1611; VIII/27)	MHSN	13L	Like 1597
22. 理性元雅     (1618; VIII/189; not 277)	MHSN	11T	VIII/183 melody and lyrics very similar to 1585 QQJC VIII/271 is Meihua 15 Nong; it has lyrics and seems melodically unrelated
24. 樂仙琴譜       (1623; VIII/381)	MHSN	15	Related
23. 太音希聲       (1625; IX/139)	MHSN	11TL	Meihua theme lyrics begin, 瘦影橫窗....
25. 古音正宗       (1634; IX/289)	MH	10
26. 義軒琴經       (late Ming; IX/401)	MHY	10T
27. 琴苑新傳全編       (1670; XI/331)	MHSN	10T	"Corrected" from 1425?
28. 誠一堂琴譜       (1705; XIII/345)	MHSN	10
. 東皋琴譜等     (1709; in XII/203 & /64)	MH	1	Subtitled (?) 瑤芳引 Yao Fang Yin: unrelated melody set to lyrics by Lin Bu. They are in the Japanese handbooks dated ca. 1676 (QQJC XII/203) and 1709 (1898?; QQJC XII/64).
29. 立雪齋琴譜       (1730; XVIII/10)	MHQ
30. 春草堂琴譜       (1744; XVIII/248)	MHSN	10
31. 自遠堂琴譜       (1802; XVII/320)	MHSN	10
32. 太和正音琴譜       (1812; XIX/11)	MHSN	10
33. 裛露軒琴譜       (>1802; XIX/70)	MHSN	10	"From 1705; afterword
34. 虞山李氏琴譜       (n.d.; XX/29)	MHSN	14
35. 琴譜諧聲       (1820; XX/13)	MHSN	10	Includes gongche; afterword
36. 峰抱樓琴譜       (1825; XX/313)	MHSN	13
37. 琴學軔端       (1828; XX/412)	MHSN	10
38. 律話       (1833; XXI/425)	MHSN	10	Includes commentary on 律呂 mode plus annotations Poem (as lyrics?)
39. 悟雪山房琴譜       (1836; XXII/315)	MHSN	13
40. 一經盧琴學       (1845; XXII/66)	MHSN	12	"From 1802; has afterword
. 錢壽佔琴譜十操       (n.d.; XXIV/143)	MHSN	8	"羅浮"; completely different
41. 琴學尊聞       (1864; XXIV/245)	MHSN	10
42. 青箱齋琴譜       (~1866; XXIV/377)	MH	12	afterword
43. 蕉庵琴譜       (1868; XXVI/33)	MHSN	10	Has commentary
44. 天聞閣琴譜       (1876; XXV/184	MHSN	10	"From 1744"; has 眉批 commentary
45. 希韶閣琴譜       (1878; XXVI/329)	MHSN	10	"Also called YFY"; has afterword
46. 綠綺清韻       (1884; XXVII/401)	MHSN	12	Has afterword
47. 希韶閣琴瑟合譜       (1890; XXVI/449)	MHSN	?	3 sections plus closing section and coda? "tradition of 鐵笛道人 the iron flue Daoist"
48. 枯木禪琴譜       (1893; XXVIII/45)	MHSN	10	Has preface
49. 琴學初津       (1894; XXVIII/284)	MHSN	11	Has two afterwords
50. 鳴盛閣琴譜       (1899; xxx)	MHSN	10	Not in QQJC; has afterword
51. 琴學叢書       (1910; XXX/222)	MHSN	10	also 琴府/968; Has rhythmic indications; said to come from printed qin and xiao tablature
52. 琴學摘要       (~1920?; XXIX/150)	MHSN	9
53. 山西育才館雅樂講義       (1922)	MHSN	10	Not in QQJC; combined edition with flute part, gongche notation "舞胎仙館原定本" (compiled by 楊詩百 Yang Shibai)
54. 研易習琴齋琴譜       (1961/Folio 1)	MHSN	10	Has commentary
55. 愔愔室琴譜       (2000/ p.149)	MHSN	10	Has gongche and an afterword
56. 虞山吳氏琴譜       (2001/p.16)	MHSN	10	Has staff notation

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