"Yi Qi" refers to the brothers Bo Yi and Shu Qi, famous recluses who each ran off so that the other could inherit. Joining up and having heard of the virtues of Wen Wang, they went west to Shanxi. However, when they found out that Wen Wang had died and his son Wu Wang was about to attack his lord, they ran off again, this time to Shouyang Mountain,³ where they died of starvation.

Bo Yi and Shu Qi grew up as sons of Guzhu Jun, the Lord of Guzhu,⁴ now called Lulong,⁵ a district in northeastern Hebei province. The father wanted his youngest son, Shu Qi, to inherit the princedom, so the eldest son Bo Yi ran off, so as to avoid conflict. When Shu Qi then also ran off, the middle son inherited.

Bo Yi is said to have written a Gathering Thornferns Melody (Cai Wei Cao).⁶ There is no surviving qin tablature with this name, but it is Folio 47, #20 in Yuefu Shiji. There the introduction and lyrics are as follows.

Further details in preparation. 8

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1 伯夷 Bo Yi; 叔齊 Shu Qi
Bo Yi is title of Chapter 61 of the Book of History. See Nienhauser, The Grand Scribe's Records, Volume VII, pp.1 - 8. Their story is also discussed in Alan Berkowitz, Patterns of Disengagement. (Return)

2 (Return)

3 首陽山 Shouyang Mountain. There are a number of ancient mountains with this name; one possibility is the one in Shanxi (see Nienhauser, VII, p. 3). (Return)

4 孤竹君 Guzhu Jun (Lord of Guzhu [in Lu Long, next footnote])
Guzhu Jun (lit.: Lord of Solitary Bamboo) is the title of a melody in Xilutang Qintong (See Zha Guide, 23/198/--). The introduction is as follows.

It talks about a man of Jin (265-420) seeing an inscription on a grave which read, "On the mound (tomb) there was a solitary bamboo; the wind blowing causes it to bend. Underneath is a centenarian, sleeping forever and not knowing dawn." It was called (or he called it) Guzhu Jun. The introduction does not mention Bo Yi or Shu Qi.

On the other hand, Qinshu Daquan, Folio 11, #41, suggests that Guzhu Jun is an alternate title for the melody 採薇操 Cai Wei Cao. 7111.35 孤竹君 says 商墨胎初之封號 Lord of Guzhu was the reign title of Motai Chu of the Shang (or 殷 Yin) dynasty, then identifies him as the father of Bo Yi and Shu Qi, referring to their biography in the Grand Scribe's Records. (Return)

5 盧龍 Lulong is a district in the northeast part of what is today Hebei province (Return)

6 Gathering Thornferns Melody (Cai Wei Cao 采薇操 or 採薇操)
This melody title, found on some old melody lists, concerns the story of Bo Yi and Shu Qi. 41010.112 采薇歌 Cai Wei Ge relates this story from Shi Ji #61, with no mention of 采薇操 Cai Wei Cao. 12564.72 採薇操 Cai Wei Cao (note that different Cai) refers to Folio 47, #20 in Yuefu Shiji. (Return)

7 晨遊高舉 14269.xxx; Gaoju 46302.xxx Morning Wander in Gaoju/High Lift? (Return)

8 (Return)

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