Zhao Mengfu

Zhao Mengfu (1254 - 1322), most famous as a painter and calligrapher as well as an essayist, perhaps gained his entry in Qin Shi Xu mainly through the connoisseurship expressed in his writings regarding the qin. His wife Guan Daosheng, a noted poet and painter, is not mentioned.⁴

The biography here, after giving details of his family lineage and saying he entered the Hanlin Academy during the Yuan dynasty, states that in addition to being a famous calligrapher he also was good at playing qin (giving no details). It then discusses in particular his possession of two valuable qins, one named Excessive Tremors (?), the other Snowy Pines.⁵ It also mentions him having written (an essay named) Qin Source (Qin Yuan), but it does not relate the accounts given elsewhere that he wrote or transmitted several melodies, Si Xian Cao in particular.⁶ It ends by referring to his conversations with Zhang Tianyu.

Further regarding Qin Source (Qin Yuan ⁷), included amongst Zhao's Essays from Snowy Pine Studio (see in Rao Zongyi, Section 6),⁸ it seems to have dealt mostly with music theory, perhaps most importantly expressing some disagreement with the ideas of Yang Zuan.

His attitude to qin is further mentioned in James Watt, The Qin and the Chinese Literati.

Some of Zhao Mengfu's other writings related to qin are in Qinshu Daquan. See in particular,⁹

Folio 19B #104, Listening to Jiang Bohui Play a Qin (V/435)
Source not mentioned
Folio 20B #68, Thanking Boji for Caring for my Qin (V/458)
Source not mentioned

Zhao Mengu's calligraphy and painting that I have used for inspiration in connection with specific qin melodies include:

His calligraphy for the text of Qingjing Jing
The original is in the collection of the Freer Gallery (see online image).
His painting 二羊圖 Sheep and Goat, which I have used in connection with the melody Han Jie Cao as it concerns "Su Wu the Shepherd".
The original is also in the Freer Gallery (online image)
His painting East Hill of Dongting, which has the same theme as the melody Dongting Qiu Si. ¹⁰
The original is in the collection of the Shanghai Museum (上海博物館)

See also his Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden Qin and ruan

As shown at right, it includes a depiction of qin being played with ruan (comment)

The biographical entry of Zhao Mengfu begins as follows,¹¹

Zhao Mengfu, style name 子昂 Zi'ang, was a descendant of Defang, Prince of Qin, a son of the first Song emperor (Taizu; they had been sent to Huzhou, hence Mengfu himself was from Huzhou)....

Translation incomplete but summarized above. It ends by discussing 張天與 Zhang Tianyu (Bio/xxx), style name 伯禹 Boyu, self-nicknamed 句曲 Gouqu, a 外史高士 gentleman with perhaps some connection to the Hanlin Academy. He studied qin when he was young and "stored" one named Wind in the Trees. Zhao Mengfu like to talk about qin matters such as tuning theory and the two of them discussed this endlessly (?).

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Zhao Mengfu (趙孟頫 1254 - 1322)
Wikipedia: courtesy name 子昂 Zi'ang, pseudonyms 松雪 Songxue (Pine Snow), 鸥波 Oubo (Gull Waves) and 水精宫道人 Shuijing-gong Dao-ren (Master of the Crystal Palace), a descendant of the Song Dynasty imperial family, was a famous scholar, painter and calligrapher during the Yuan Dynasty.
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2. 12 lines; also discusses 張天與 Zhang Tianyu
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3. Zhao Mengfu plays qin as his wife listens
Image copied from http://www.epochtimes.com, which says the statues are at the 湖州故居庭院 Courtyard of (Zhao Mengfu's) Former Residence in Huzhou (in Zhejiang just south of Lake Tai). (See 趙孟頫故居舊址紀念館.)
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4. Guan Daosheng 管道昇; (1262–1319; Wiki)
No qin references as yet.
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5. Zhao Mengfu's qins
The two mentioned here are:

震餘 Zhen Yu ("excessive tremors"?; compare 震餘孤桐), presented by "鮮于伯幾 Xianyu Boji" (should be 鮮于伯機, i.e., the noted calligrapher and connoisseur 鮮于樞 Xianyu Shu, ca. 1246 or 1257-1302), adding it was made by 許族陽 (許遜 Xu Sun, 239-374).
松雪 Song Xue (Pine Snow; Snowy Pines); this is also a nickname for Zhao Mengfu

No mention of 大雅 Da Ya, also associated with Zhang Mengfu.
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6. Zhao Mengfu and Si Xian Cao
See further.
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7. Qin Source (琴原 Qin Yuan)
Not yet seen; included in Songxuezhai Ji (see next).
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8. Essays from Snowy Pine Studio (松雪齋文集 Songxuezhai Wenji)
14897.157 松雪齋文集 Songxuezhai Ji: a book in 10+1+1 folios by Zhao Mengfu.
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9. Zhao Mengfu quotes in Qinshu Daquan
Details to be added.
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10. Calligraphy for Qingjing Jing
Compare the one on the World Art Kiosk website.
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11. Biography Zhao Mengfu (1254 - 1322)
Original text (Qinshi Xu #31) is as follows,

趙孟頫，字子昂，宋太祖子秦王德芳之後。五世祖秀王子偁實生孝宗，賜第湖州，故孟頫為湖州人。仕元至「翰林學士承旨」。宦蹟具《元史本傳》。孟頫書名滿天下。亦善琴。鮮于伯幾贈以琴曰《震餘》云，是許族陽手植桐木所斲。孟頫大喜，賦長歌謝之。有自吾得此。不敢寐終夜起。作彈《孤鴻》之句。晚得琴名《松雪》因松雪老人。著《琴原》一首，論者謂得律呂不傳之妙云。

張天與者，字伯禹，自號句曲，外史高士也。少學琴，所畜琴名《風林》。嘗從孟頫論琴。孟頫以為琴之五音各有改弦法。其法不傳。世之所謂琴者皆不審五音之主徒呶呶耳。殆不若秦箏之按宮徴調也。

Translation not yet written out, but summarized above. Sources are given as 元史 Yuan Shi (Yuan Dynasty History)、吳興備志 Wuxing Bei Zhi (Gazetteer of Wuxing, i.e., Huzhou in Zhejiang) and 蓴湖漫錄 Chunhu Manlu.
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