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Chapter Six: Song and Yuan dynasties
1
Xu Jian, Introductory History of the Qin, p. 120 |
第六章﹕宋，元
許健，琴史初編，第120頁 |
| 6.C. Qin Essays 2 |
琴論
成玉磵，論琴 |
This (essay) is seen in Qinshu Daquan (Folio 10). The author, during the Zhenghe period (1111-1117) of the Northern Song, for the circumstances of the qin world carried out a broad critical essay, pointing out that at that time (see V/),5
This paragraph makes an outline of the different styles of each of the northern and southern schools, regarding with special approval the Double Zhe qin school. From this one can see that the ascent of the Zhe School certainly had long tradition. As early as the Northern Song it already had a leading position.6
The same as with Zequan, (Cheng) paid a lot of attention to the differences between diaozi and caonong, saying,7
This points out that the two (types of melodies) had different styles of play, and also the tendencies they could easily produce. He also laid out a list of the popular diaozi of his day, dividing them into different styles and adding commentary.8
(Cheng) opposed just blindly following old tablature, saying,9
"Old melodies are rarely achieved. The ones now commonly transmitted never have clear modality/melodies, the intonation has dissonance, the sounds are chaotic, there naturally are omissions: how can one be blinded by such a melody?"
(Instead) he advocated,10
"Examine all the experts, select the good ones, and follow them."
Regarding peoples' bearing during performance, for all such aspects as every sort of finger technique and dynamic process he put forward detailed explanations and advocated strict and concrete requirements. However, he stressed even more comprehension of melodies, saying,11
"Temper yourself over a long period of time, then suddenly you will achieve comprehension, and then there will be nothing you cannot do."If towards musical concepts one has no deeply ingrained structural knowledge, this will only be a bitter experience, and one will not be able to attain a beautiful space.12
"As for this lack of comprehension, although one may use a lot of effort seeking it, in the end there will be no beautiful space."
(Continue with next, Zhao Xikuang, Lun Tan Qin)
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a
separate page)
1. Chapter 6 covers these dynasties (dates, capital city [modern name]):
3.
Cheng Yujian 成玉磵
Cheng Yujian (11820.xxx lived during (1111-1117), but there seems to be no information about him other what what is written in the sources mentioned here. There is also a collection of his explanations of finger techniques (Zhi Fa, Qinshu Cunmu #128), included in Qinshu Daquan, Folio 8 (Qinqu Jicheng, V/155 apparently to 158).
(Return)
4.
Discussing Qin (論琴 Lun Qin) (QQJC V/206-209)
This essay is quite lengthy: over six folio-pages in Folio 10 of the original Qinshu Daquan, which organizes it into three sections, of 5, 10 and 142 lines respectively. Qinshu Daquan calls it
Qin Lun; in QSCB it is one of nine such discussions in a section of QSCB called Qin Lun, so perhaps Xu Jian reversed Cheng Yujian's title to Lun Qin to distinguish the title from this overall title.
In addition to the phrases from this essay that Xu Jian commented on above, other phrases in it worthy of note include the following:
Selected phrases from this essay have been translated by Pei-You Chang on this webpage. Based on the text in Qinqu Jicheng, copied below, she seems to paraphrase a few of the original quotes (the first few are underlined here).
My own translation is linked below.
(Return)
5.
京師、兩浙、江西能琴者極多然指法各有不同。京師過於剛勁，江南失於輕浮，惟兩浙質而不野，文而不史。
See in above text and QQJC V/206, upper right quadrant, beginning near bottom of the last line.
(Return)
6.
Origins of the Zhe School
Elsewhere (see comment) it seems to be suggested that the Zhe school actually began more than a century later than the present article.
(Return)
7.
操弄貴飄揚而多失於無度，調子貴淡靜而多陷於僻澀
See in above text and QSDQ, Folio 10 (QQJC, V/206 lower left lines 5-6).
(Return)
8.
Cheng Yujian naming and analyzing diaozi
This seems to refer to at least two parts of his Qin Lun. QSCB,
Chapter 6b3, has four of his quotes analyzing diaozi. As for naming them, this seems to come in Qin Lun (in QSDQ Folio 10; see in the above text and in QQJC V/207 lower right quadrant). This includes (see line 5) phrases like this,
Of these four titles, one (Song Yu Bei Qiu is mentioned as a manjue mode diaozi in QSDQ Folio 13, while Xu Jian mentions the first two under Zequan Heshang in
Chapter 6b3.
(Return)
9.
古曲罕得，世俗所傳杳無明調，至律有不協，聲韻繁亂，自當刪除，豈可蔽於一曲哉？
See in above text and in QSDQ, Folio 10 (QQJC, V/207 upper right lines 3-4). This is a very good description of a poorly done reconstruction (dapu),
(Return)
10.
参考諸家，擇其善者
See in above text and in QSDQ, Folio 10 (QQJC, V/207 upper right lines 3-4). This is a very good recommendation for the tradition oral method of learning.
(Return)
11.
歲月磨煉，瞥然省悟，則無所不通
See in above text and in QSDQ, Folio 10 (QQJC, V/207 upper right lines 5-6).
(Return)
12.
至於未悟，雖用力尋求，終無妙處
See in above text and in QSDQ, Folio 10 (QQJC, V/207, upper right lines 6-7).
In his article on Song dynasty music, Yuan Jung-Ping explained this as follows,
"Cheng Yujian wrote....that playing the qin is like practicing meditation: after years of practice, there can be sudden enlightenment. Enlightenment allows one to discover the purpose of life and understand the greatness of nature. While we know that Buddhist philosophy influenced qin theory, at the same time playing the qin must also have helped Buddhist monks achieve their religious goals."
Appendix
成玉磵，琴論
Cheng Yujian: Qin Treatise
Translation and original text
Translation below still in progress
(I. Five tunings and transposed-string “outside” tunings)
Gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu are the five pentatonic tunings. Beyond these there are manshang, manjue, huangzhong and so on, nineteen in all and called the non-standard tunings achieved by retuning certain strings. Their sounds differ in timbre and pitch, and yet each possesses a natural beauty. If any sound is misaligned with another then the tuning of all five will not be correct. Ancient pieces have endured through many generations. Later people, acting on reckless ideas, added and subtracted arbitrarily, passing them down successively from one to another, until the five tunings become confused and mixed. If one hopes, with such disorder, to move Heaven and Earth and to affect spirits and ghosts, is this not far off indeed? Yet this is something that cannot be spoken of except with one who truly knows the tunings.
(II. Finger methods and regional styles)
If finger techniques are too forceful, this is error by excess; if they are weak, this is error by insufficiency. Both (traits) fail to probe the true intent of the ancients. Only when one moves with ease and self-possession, unconstrained by advance or retreat, does one accord with the Way. In drawing out sound, one must avoid over-intention. Over-intention causes loss of authenticity. The player himself may not be aware of it; only the onlooker perceives it. As for those (players as well as listeners) with vulgar tastes, some are wholly beyond redemption. They indulge their impulses and take them as authority, calling this “natural.” Those who do not understand go along praising them. I have often laughed at this in private: it is what people call mistaking a madman’s manner for that of a Daoist adept. This malady has existed from long ago and in the end is hard to cure.
京師 Capital; this was Kaifeng at that time but Cheng seems to use this to mean a sort of formal or official style; 兩浙 Two-Zhe; this in modern terms would have been something like southern Zhejiang plus northern Zhejiang with southern Jiangsu, but here it perhaps refers to a more skilled or professional style; and 江西 Jiangxi, not so much the modern province but generally Confucian areas south of the Yangzi River, including Fujian, and more importantly referring to the style of educated amateurs such as Huang Tingjian [who actually was from Jiangxi] and others from elsewhere such as Su Shi, who have been associated as a literary Jiangxi style. To them lyrics were quite important, and this apparently led to the idea that there was a Jiang "style" that emphasized qin songs. These three terms seem all to refer to general trends, not to definable styles of play such as one might have with "schools".)
In the capital, in the Two-Zhe region, and in Jiangxi, there are very many who can play qin, yet their finger techniques differ from place to place. Those in the capital may err by being overly rigid and forceful; those south of the Yangzi may err by being too light and glib; only in the Two Zhe region are players solid without being coarse, cultivated without being pedantic. These are systemic differences most people do not notice. Only when three players (one from each style) play in juxtaposition can their relative strengths and weaknesses truly be discerned. As the saying goes, "Pluck as though you can snap the string; press as though you would sink into the wood;" it thus values confidence and grounded commitment. Yet one must also attend to degree of intensity and melodic pacing, letting all accord with proper measure — only then is the beauty fully realized.
On the other hand, if one becomes fixated on sound per se, such a person cannot truly be called a qin player.
(III. Grasping meaning, styles of playing, and “modes”)
The practice of qin play for the most part centers on attaining an inner sense (of the music). If this is kept in mind even when sleeping and eating, then by working with only one or two pieces (caonong), you can fully exhaust their inner depths. As for the dozen or more modes, their inner sense may be more subtle. Musical iniatures (diaozi, which explore these modes) show plainness but have flavor, like eating an olive. As for playing full melodies (caonong), that is like rushing wind and sudden rain — once released, it hits its mark, making spirit and soul leap. Yet those who are true creators will mostly use musical miniatures when it comes to personal delight. If, however, you have caonong, their guiding principle requires a proper degree of force rising and falling with proper measure; there must be a beginning and end around a middle, and one should not insist on avoiding minor flaws — this is like composing long-line verse. As for the musical miniatures, ornamentation should be intimate and fully felt, while the placing of the fingers should be simple and still — this is like composing five-character verse. Later creators should not alter this understanding. Su Shi said: “Medicine that follows correct principles (gentle and relaxed) does not distinguish old from young; painting that follows correct principles (like that of Cao Zhongda [882–943] and 吳道子 Wu Daozi [c680-c740]), excellence appears regardless of the subject.” All arts are like this; it is not only medicine and painting that are so. Those who truly understand the qin are (likewise) not confined by (the types of melodies called) cao, nong, diao, or yin (preludes?). Depth naturally arises where it will. Under their fingers, things are allowed to run of themselves and spontaneously accord with creation. Even people who play music do not know how this comes about.
Chang suo (long-chain) and duan suo (short-chain: two techniques calling for repeating a note in chain-like fashion) are in fact part of one group, though their expressive characters differ. Duansuo repeats a tone no more than three or four times; changsuo has no fixed count, leaving it to the understanding of the player. Drunken chain resembles it but is not the same. With long chain, short juan, slow pluck, piercing juan, and drunken juan (? NFI); this makes six (variants) in all, though different people use different terms. If one is aware of these principles, then one can get through anything; the essential point lies the method of fingering. With qin, finesse and awkwardness lie in the work one puts in. As for charm and resonance, these come from the movement of one’s bearing and spirit. To judge superiority and inferiority here is like judging the poetry of Commissioner Zheng and Li Taibai.
Learning the qin is like learning ancient painting: at first it seems plain. But with long and deep cultivation, personal refinement naturally emerges; then, even when circumstances are imperfect, one remains connected to the source, without forcing the sound. Because playing can lead to fatigue, dun–nao vibratos must value roundness and stillness: outwardly empty yet inwardly full, like a hammer wrapped in cotton. This is the sound most important to obtain, but even among the ten most capable players one or two aspects will fall short. If the finger goes down before reaching dun, it is called “broken-waist dun.” If one strikes mid-hui without strength, it is “drunken dun,” the worst. If it comes and goes without trace, it is “hidden-head dun,” the finest. If it falls straight down from above, it is “hard dun.” Few attain that; it is only somewhat rougher than hidden-head dun.
Many take pride in their ability to play the qin; this merely shows that they have not yet understood the true delight provided by the instrument. As for those who do not cultivate technique: when they take sound, they do not attend to gentleness. Yet if one wishes the fingers to carry inexhaustible meaning, gentleness is indispensable. All my life I have most loved playing the qin. In full melodies, what is prized is buoyant movement, yet this often results in uncontrolled slips of the hand; in musical miniatures, what is prized is restrained stillness, yet this often lapses into cramped roughness. Only when restraint truly has restraint, and buoyancy accords with measure, does one attain subtlety — and few people ever achieve both together. People all admire finger techniques that are neat and uniform, movements that are stiffly regulated — just like children learning calligraphy who wish to acquire ease and elegance while still bound by strict rules. Is this not difficult? Such people have simply not yet reached the subtle ground attained by the ancients. I have often said that one cannot succeed at the qin in less than ten years. Only when refinement and familiarity are taken to the utmost does truly fresh sound appear. One must also consult the various masters, selecting what is good and following it. As for what is personally realized within the breast, that is almost impossible to convey in words.
Some say qin pieces made by the ancients and cannot be selected or rejected. I say not so. Qin pieces began with Shennong and flowed through Yao, Shun, Wen, Wu, Zhou, and Confucius; later Cai Yong, Ji Kang, Liu Wenchang, and others all modeled ancient intent to create new pieces, and a thousand years have passed. Truly ancient pieces are rare. What the world commonly transmits lacks clear tuning; even pitch laws may not agree, and the tablatures are tangled and chaotic. One should remove and delete accordingly — how could one be blinded by a single piece? This is like a blind man riding a lame horse while hoping to see a thousand li ahead.
Working at the qin is like engaging in Chan thought. Years polish and refine; suddenly one awakens and there is nothing one does not penetrate. One uses it freely, yet it always seems as if there were surplus. If one has not awakened, then even if one strains after it, in the end there is no subtlety.
The qin has no likes or dislikes; these lie in the player’s skill or clumsiness. If one cannot take sound well, then even if the piece itself is good it feels stiff, like an ugly woman laden with pearls and jade. If one can take sound well, then even if the piece itself is not good it sounds beautiful, like Xishi lightly adorned, possessing natural charm. If she piles on powder and paint, how could that be measured? A great craftsman does not discard material.
Finger placement must press close to the yue for ringing sound. In subtle places one must play below the fourth hui; otherwise it is zither, not qin. Some say “fine sound should be played coarse; coarse sound fine,” but this is mere novelty seeking, without real intent. Yin–yang principles and the measured rise and fall of resonance do not permit such confusion. The finger’s descent must be round, like pearls rolling on a tray, gleaming and without trace. To achieve only clarity and smoothness is already something to see; it is hard to go further.
If posture is crooked, tuning careless, finger methods light and chaotic, and strength exhausted before the piece ends, this is called “instant-dream playing.” Many later players resemble this.
In playing the qin, what matters most is stern resolve, like standing in tiger stance pressing a sword. Incorrect posture makes both technique and appearance ugly. Without a fine thought one must not play; nor should one pick attractive sounds for momentary amusement, thereby training bad habits. Many are lazy to play large pieces; this sickness begins here. When Ji Kang was about to be executed he asked for a qin and played Guangling San, saying when finished, “Guangling is cut off from this point on.” Yet we do not know who later came to know it.
If the fingers become moist, sound is round; if dry, then even with effort it is ordinary. These are gifts of Heaven, not forced by human power. Playing is difficult; listening is also difficult. When Zhong Ziqi died, Boya broke his strings—there was reason. Today people not only do not know tunings, they sit talking loudly without pause, ruining refined thought.
When things reach subtlety they rarely accord with vulgarity—hence “the higher the mode, the fewer who harmonize.” Vulgar people follow whatever wind they see; this is like listening to a pipa through a curtain. Correct sound is elegant and bland, not known to vulgar ears. Many Slow-Jue pieces are so. Modern pieces—Jiangshang Wen Jiao, Shasai Waqing, Song Yu’s Autumn Grief, Penglai Spring Evening—reveal themselves as non-ancient by their sound. Yet some may still possess Zhong Ziqi’s charm.
Slow-Shang tunings are all clear and harmonious, each sound like jade forests and jeweled trees. Before even striking a sound one feels as if beyond the clouds—could this not be an ancient remnant? Gong tuning can also be played; recently Huangzhong is good, requiring only one string to be shifted. Lüshuang is easy on vulgar ears and thus widely played, rarely discussed. Qiusi and Beifeng stand like Mount Tai, beyond ordinary speech.
If one understands a single piece, Herao, then nothing is inapplicable. It is outwardly empty yet inwardly full, bland yet sweet. Hence Su Shi’s poem. Qingjiang Yin, Confucius Weeping for Yan Hui, Fengru Song, and Immortal Crane Dance are the most ancient pieces. Today people use ornament to suppress the good and make it base; no good exemplar has yet appeared. “Dancing hands” is a recent technique that even actors disdain. I once saw a Daoist who claimed skill, who after long delay said, “Though the strings are not tuned, let me first play Qingjiang Yin.” It remains a joke.
Many faults appear in playing: head-moving, body-swaying, habits hard to correct. Sound should come like clouds without trace, blending into wholeness. Harmonics require the left hand to be low and level; otherwise the hands pound like pestles. Though simplicity and stillness are valued, one must also have living resonance, like pine wind or snow-lit moon. Clinging to stillness alone is like a dead winter stump.
One must not cling to extremes: what is gained in the mind responds in the hand. When reaching subtlety and entering mystery, mind and hand are forgotten—how could one calculate? Playing must not involve “bitter intention”; bitter intention binds. Only freedom without obstruction brings subtle interest. With bitter intention, even one who “gets it” falls short of natural blending.
Zhuangzi said, “If a contriving mind is stored in the chest, pure whiteness is incomplete.” Only by forgetting contrivance can one communicate with spirit. When Boya played, horses forgot to eat; when Hu Ba played, birds danced and fish leapt. Now antiquity is distant; tricks multiply—how could such effects be obtained?
The Biography of Cai Wenji records her identifying snapped strings by ear. I have tried this; it is not strange, for string height differs and sound follows breakage plainly.
Cai Yong’s Qin Fu says “the fingers return and repeat; press and strike, conceal and crush.” I do not understand “return and repeat”; perhaps the ancients had other methods. Liu Yun struck the qin with his brush; a guest tapped it, and startled, he formed elegant sound. Thus striking began.
King Wen longed for worthies; the sound is ancient and rarely heard. Su Shi loved it. The Three Joys piece is lofty and bland; later renamed Rong Qiqi. Wang Xun’s Qin Praise says “like a clear wind, coldly passing through the forest.” In two lines the meaning of non-transmission is exhausted.
Guangling San contains half-full and full fu, a change of juan. Sweeping methods are difficult: fast, slow, no-head, yue-pressing. Near the yue is hard; near the hui weak. One sweep must be unbroken, like strung pearls.
Confucius, the Duke of Zhou, Yin Boqi, Zengzi, Boya, and others composed many pieces. Though sound survives, words are lost. Han Yu supplied words but forgot sound; he did not compose with ancient intent—it was submerged and lost.
Right-hand methods have no north–south division: they do not go beyond mo, tiao, gou, ti, da, zhai, bo, and tuo. Left-hand forms differ: “thirsty snake drinks water,” “phoenix wing,” etc. Borrowing between pieces is common; one must ensure sound-tail and intent agree.
Zhang Minshu, a native of Piling (Changzhou), was known in his day for poetry, yet he also devoted close attention to the qin. Whenever he went out, he always took a qin with him. On one occasion he selected the poem “Zhao Yin” (“Summoning a Recluse”) from an anthology and made for it a melody; the resulting reclusion-lyric was exquisitely beautiful for its time, and he hoped it might rival the popularity of Old Toper's Intonation of Su Shi. During the Zhenghe era (1111–1118), we happened to meet above the Sanqu Stream Hall (in the Quzhou region). I then took up a qin and played for him, whereupon Minshu sang with delight song that said:
Zizhan (Su Shi) created Old (Toper) pieces, and people of his own time knew them well, yet they were able only to recite his words and play the sound of the piece. As for what is called Old Toper's Intonation itself, they were quite at a loss. Whenever I encounter a moonlit night, I must play this piece, singing as I play. When the moon is bright and the wind and dew have settled, and there is no one else present, I suddenly feel as though I were clasping hands with Zizhan himself, laughing together.
Zhang Minshu also once modeled another piece in the style of (a melody called) The Pacification of Wu (平吳), producing a separate version, little known to the world. Its lyrics go as follows:
Translation tentative.
Appendix, Part B: Original text (from V/206-9)
成玉磵，琴論
Cheng Yujian: Qin Treatise
See Translation
I. (五音、轉絃)
宮、商、角、徵、羽謂之五音。過此則慢商、慢角、黃鐘凡十九，名
曰轉絃外調。其聲清濁高下不同，而有自然之妙。若一聲
差互，則五音不正。古曲歷代浸久，後人妄意加减，(遞)相傳
授，遂至五音雜亂，欲其動天地，感鬼神，不亦遠乎。然非知
音者不可語此。
II. (指法、地域風格)
III. (得意、操弄、調子)
長鎖、短鎖，其實一也，然意趣各别。短鎖彈不過三四，
長鎖不定，以意為主，醉鎖似而非。長鎖、短㳙、慢撥、刺
㳙、醉㳙，凡六，名人多不一。若悟是理，則無適而不通，其要
在下指耳。琴中巧拙，在於用工，至於風韻，則出入氣宇，要
知其優劣，政如鄭都官、李太白作詩。學琴如學古畫，初雖
無味，至於用工深遠，自成一家精妙。造次逢源，不藉力也。
所以操而倦，敦猱聲貴圓靜，外虛中實，如綿裏稱鎚，此
聲最要取，縱能者十亦失其一二。至於未至敦而指先下，
謂之折腰敦。中徽而無力，謂之醉敦，此最不佳。有來去無
跡，謂之藏頭敦，最妙。有從上直下，謂之硬敦，得此鮮有，但
比藏頭敦差麄耳。
多以能琴相高，是蓋未諳琴中之趣。凡
不攻者取聲則不問軟。要得指下有無窮之意，非軟則
不可取。余平生最好彈琴。操弄貴飄揚而多失手無度，
調子貴淡靜而多陷于僻澀，惟淡靜有淡，飄揚合節乃妙，
人多罕有兩全。人皆慕指法齊整、動作拘硬，政如小兒學
書欲得風韻潇洒，出於规矩準繩之外，不亦難乎！此類蓋未達
古人妙處耳。余嘗謂琴者非十年不可成功，惟其至精
至熟，乃有新奇聲，亦須参考諸家，擇其善者從之可也。至於胸中
自得，殆不可言傳。
或者謂琴曲古人所製，不可
去取。余曰不然。且琴曲始自神農氏，流及堯、舜、文、武、周、孔，
後蔡邕、稽中散、柳文暢等，皆規模古意為新曲，迄今千載
矣。古曲罕得，世俗所傳，杳無明調，至律有不協，聲譜繁亂，
自當删除，豈可蔽於一曲哉！是猶盲人騎瞎馬而望千里
之遠，計亦疏矣。攻琴如參禪，歲月磨煉，瞥然省悟则無所
不通，縱橫妙用而嘗若有餘。至於未悟，雖用力尋求，終無
妙處。琴無好惡，在彈者工拙。不善取聲，縱曲本佳，愈覺生
硬，如醜婦珠翠徒自多耳。善取聲者，縱曲本不佳，亦自美
聽，如西施淡妝，自有不凡氣韻。若施粉黛，研易量哉！大匠
無棄材，信有之矣。
下指要逼岳，則聲鏗鏘。至於微细之處，
當四徽之下，不然，是琴筝也。或云細聲麄彈，麄聲細彈，此
皆好奇之過，元無旨趣。蓋天地陰陽之理，聲韻起伏之節，
若麄聲細彈，豈能宣和暢之情？若細聲麄彈，是麄細同列
耳。下指要圓如珠走柈，莹無留跡，乃極其妙。今人但得其
清圓無礙，已自可觀，固難造此。坐次偏斜，調絃無度，指法
輕亂，曲未終而力先乏，謂之瞬夢彈，後人多類此。
鼓琴最
要嚴毅，謂虎距按劍者是也。坐止不正，非但取用無準，且
自醜。不得佳思不可彈，又不可摘撮好聲，為一時戲弄，遂
慣了人。人多懶彈大曲，始由此病。稽中散臨刑索琴彈《廣
陵散》，曲終曰「《廣陵》自此絕矣」。不知何代得知何人。
手指潤
則取聲圓，手燥者縱有功亦自一般矣。是皆系天，不由人
力。彈難，聽者亦難，鍾子期没，伯牙絕絃，良有以也。今人非
惟不知音，又且闔坐喧語不輟口，俗物乃爾，敗人佳思。琴
中巧拙，非作家者則不知。大凡事至妙處，多不合俗，所謂
「調彌高，和彌寡」。凡俗之人，輒望風輕重，人是亦是，人非亦
非，此乃際帘聽琵琶，殆不可與較長量短。夫正音雅淡，非
俗耳所知也。慢角調中曲多是。今人所製，如《江上聞角》、《沙
塞晚晴》、《宋玉悲秋》、《蓬萊春晚》，聞其聲則驗非古也。然則亦
有鍾期風韻可喜，料亦非凡人所為。慢商調十數調亦皆
清和，不蹈襲群曲，一聲聲如瓊林瑶樹，無一枝雜。未鼓其
聲，使人如在云外，得非上古之遺風也耶？宫調亦可彈，近
有黃鐘亦佳，但上下改一絃耳。《履霜》最多好聲，以易入俗
耳，故彈者眾、議者寡。至於《秋思》、《悲風》，巍然如泰山，仰不可
越，常人豈得致語哉！宫調十調子，其聲大都相通。初雖互
為意思，終亦同歸。苟能洞曉《賀若》一曲，則無適而非也。《賀
若》外虛中實，似淡而實甘，故子瞻詩云「清風終日自開帘，
明月今霄獨挂檐。琴裏若能知《賀若》，詩中應合愛陶潛。」此
曲本因賀若，因以為名，書傳不載。《清江引》、《孔子哭顏回》、《風
入松》、《仙鹤舞》最是古曲，今人多將設容，壓良為賤，理猶不
工，但未見好本。近有一種指法，謂之「舞手」，雖伶人賤役，亦
不肯為也。向見一道士言自能琴，眾往聽之，坐定，道士取
琴品絃，良久曰：「絃雖未調，且彈一曲《清江引》，」至今為笑。
彈
琴最多病，或頭動，甚者身摇動。蓋因始不自禁，久摜則不
可易。取聲貴來云無跡，則混成。然須初學可到，若辭昔人
寫字法，則近之矣。泛聲，左手低平，去来不覺。若左手高，兩
手互相上下，政如碓杵，不可不戒。指法雖身貴簡靜，要須氣
韻生動，如寒松吹風，積雪映月是也。若僻於簡靜，則亦不
可，有如隆冬枯木槎朽而終無屈伸者也。大都不可偏執，
所謂得之於心，應之於手。至于造微入玄，則心手俱忘，豈
容計較？夫彈琴不可苦意思，苦意思則纏縳；唯自在無碍，
則有妙趣。設若有苦意思，得者終不及自然冲融爾。莊子
云「機心存於胸中，則純白不備。」故彈琴者至於忘機，乃能
通神明也。伯牙鼓琴，六馬仰秣，瓠巴鼓瑟，鳥舞魚躍。今來
去古遠矣，機巧滋多，欲其「仰秣」、「舞躍」，豈可得哉！《蔡琰傳》曰：
「父夜鼓琴，絃斷。琰曰：『一絃也。』邕故斷一絃而問之。琰曰：『四
絃也。』邕曰：『偶得之耳。』」余試之，無足奇。且夫絃之高下不等，
聲隨絃斷，顯然可驗。
蔡邕琴賦曰：「指嘗反覆，抑按藏摧。」余
竟不曉反覆之義，恐古人别有指法。柳惲善琴，掌賦詩未
成，以筆擊琴，坐客偶以筋扣之，惲[驚其求韻]乃製為雅音。
後擊琴自此始。文王思士，其聲古雅，世(所)罕聞。子瞻酷愛
之，嘗有詩云：「江清月白聲響絕，夜關更静彈文王。」琴中三
樂尤高古淡，無一聲閒散。又人以三樂為忌，今改作榮啟
期，則不失三樂本意。啟期，古之賢人，有三樂一曲。昔王珣
作琴贊曰：「如彼清風，冷然經林。」二句，曲盡不傳之意，想見
王珣之為人矣。「半全扶」節，全扶。《廣陵散》中有此，此亦「㳙」之
變也。取聲最多，失若會豎指，則不難。拂琴絃一法亦難有：
急拂、慢拂、無頭拂、逼岳拂，則太硬；近徽則無力。如珠纍纍，
一拂無滯，又要緩急得所。孔子作《將歸操》、《猗蘭》、《龜山》；周公作
《越棠》、《文王》、《拘幽》；周人謂文王作《岐山》；尹伯奇作《履霜》；牧犢
子作《雉朝飛》；商陵子作《别鵠》；曾子作《殘形》；伯牙作《水仙》、《襄
陵》。然雖有聲而亡其辭，韓退之嘗補其辭，政得其意而忘
其聲。然退之不作古意，湮沒耳。右手指法，無南北之分，皆
不出抹、挑、勾、[踢]、打、摘、[擘]、[托]，此其緒也。至於下拍，各有指法，
所得未易言也。左手立作不同，淅閒屈中拍，謂之渴蛇飲
水。京師以四指如魚鱗狀，食指微屈，謂之鳳翅，貴其美觀；
渴蛇便於取聲，二者俱可。《清江引》多竊《幽蘭》、《流水》聲，《風入
松》多竊《流水》聲，此類甚多，但要音尾意思不相把。
張敏叔。
毗陵人，世以詩名，猶留意於琴。每出必以琴自隨，嘗集文
選中《招隱》詩作官商，中隱詞妙絕一時，欲與子瞻《醉翁吟》
並駕。政和中，相遇於三衢溪堂之上，僕乃援琴為作，敏叔
欣然歌曰：
「山間鳴琴萬壑聲。
子瞻
作翁，際世符知之，但能誦其詞，彈其聲。至於所謂《醉翁吟》
者，則懵然。余每遇月夜，須作此曲，且彈且歌。至於月明風
露泊消，人未限，則恍然如與子瞻抵掌該笑爾。張敏叔亦
嘗倣其《平吳》作一本，世罕有知者。其詞有曰：
「山高泉深空，山夜風吹林。
Notes:
If Zhang Minshu’s lyrics were indeed inspired by a poem by 蘇軾, that poem is no longer extant. In fact, a number of song-lyrics attributed to Su Shi in qin sources cannot be located in his received literary corpus. This is true even for pieces as widely transmitted as Zui Weng Yin in several qin handbooks.
It is therefore possible that Zhang Minshu encountered lyrics similar to those presented here, but if so their origin cannot at present be traced to any surviving textual witness. What remains is the lyric as preserved within the qin tradition itself, whose transmission appears to have been musical rather than literary.
Return to the top or to
Song-Yuan in the Qinshi Chubian outline.
指法遒勁，則失於大過；懦弱則失於不及，是皆未探古人
真意。惟優游自得，不為來去所窘，乃為合道。取聲忌用意太過，
太過則失真，操者亦不覺，惟旁觀者乃知。然俗耳有
人全不可取，率意自任，號為天然，不識者亦從嗟美，嘗竊
笑之，是指風顛漢喚為道人。由來此病，卒難醫也。
京師、兩
浙、江西能琴者極多，然指法各有不同。京師過於剛勁，江
南失於輕浮，惟兩浙質而不野、文而不史。此法人多不知，
惟三人對彈，可較優劣。所謂「彈欲斷絃，按欲入木」，貴其持
重，然亦要輕重、去就，皆當乎理，乃盡其妙。不然，但兢乎音
響，非能琴者也。
操琴之法大都以得意為主。雖寝食不忘，故操弄不過一、
二曲，則其奥窮。至於調雖十數，而意愈妙。蓋調子貴淡而
有味，如食橄欖。若夫操弄如飄風驟雨，一發則中，使人神
魄飛動。然作家者多以調子自娛。設或操弄，太綱要輕重
起伏有節，首尾中貫，不求小過，如人作長韻詩。至若調子
要吟猱親切，下指簡靜，如人作五言詩。後之作者，不易此
論。子瞻謂「和緩之醫，不别老少；曹吳之畫，不擇人物。」一切
理當如此，非為醫、畫而然。善知琴者，不拘操、弄、調、引，自然
有勝入處。蓋指下任運，自與造化相合，操弄者亦莫知其
然也。
沈冷冷；山溜寒泉瑩心。
未必如清音。不如歸去投簪。
歸去來舟葩耀林。
歸去來幽蘭滿襟。
灌木自吟，竹栢成陰。
君胡為遑遑，何之？三逕幽尋。
籬外黄花散金。
振衣躑躅，彈冠塵。
莫教雙鬓蕭蕭，雪霜侵。」
翁未醉，則遺其簪。
山間玉溜，山嵌嶔，源莫尋；
萬仞青岑，有太古之遺音。
醉翁不醉，鳴咽悲心；
醉翁醉後，枕水眠雲。
朝吟莫怨胡為登臨；
軫碧玉徽黃金，
餘聲如春禽。
人生百年侵，有酒且須料，對夫子彈琴。」