The various stories connecting this qin melody with stories of wind and thunder require the observer to wonder to what extent qin melodies can be considered as program music. Qin melodies, other than the modal preludes (diao yi), almost always have thematic titles. Clearly some have passages that can be described as "tone painting" ("word painting"), through music trying to imitate sounds or illustrate stories. However, the extent to which any specific melody can be understood as programatic is quite debatable. Indeed, if you would like the music to be programmatic, or need to know exactly what a melody is about, you will quite likely find the follow variety of explanations of Feng Lei Yin frustrating.

It is thus probably more fruitful to enjoy this variety of explanations, for these reveal a richness of imagery quite in keeping with the general qin tradition, and showing one aspect of the connection between the qin tradition and the poetic tradition in general. The same words of a poem can create different impressions or images for different people. Likewise, a qin melody, even though titled and with commentary, allows a variety of interpretations. If, from your own background, you can add still further interpretations, that should make your appreciation of the melody that much the richer.

The Feng Lei Yin generally played today is quite popular. Belonging to the Mei'an School, it was first published in the Mei'an Qinpu of 1931. Its preface says it depicts a summer storm. There are several modern transcriptions and recordings of this melody, which uses a non-standard tuning (lowered third string).⁴

Before this, however, there was another very popular melody also named Feng Lei Yin that survives in at least 39 handbooks from 1539 to 1910.⁵ This earlier melody uses standard tuning and has no melodic relationship to the modern version of this title; there are numerous variations, but all seem to remain musically related to each other.⁶ The earliest of the surviving tablatures, the one here in Fengxuan Xuanpin (1539), has no preface or section titles to suggest its theme. After this, though, these earlier handbooks relate through their prefaces at least four different introductions to this version of the melody.⁷

The second handbook to include this melody, Xilutang Qintong (1549), has the earliest surviving preface.⁸ This preface connects the melody with a story from the Metal Bound Box (Jin Teng) section of the classic Book of Documents.⁹ The same story is told in Qin Cao in conjunction with the melody Zhou Jin Teng, a title found in some Tang dynasty melody lists.¹⁰ The story tells of a bound metal box containing Zhou Gong's promise of loyal service to Cheng Wang, son of Wu Wang. This loyal service allowed Cheng Wang later to succeed when he came of age. The afterword and section titles in Xilutang Qintong all relate this story; in the translations below comments are added (in parentheses) to clarify this. There is also a related story that says Zhou Gong wrote a Zhou Gong's Lament, declaring his loyalty, and played this for Cheng Wang on a qin made by Yu Sui.

Shortly after this, in Taiyin Chuanxi (1552 - 61), Feng Lei Yin appeared with a more general introduction and a prelude called Intonation of Increasing Abundance (Ziyi Yin¹¹). Here the introduction, also repeated in several later handbooks, is as follows.¹²

A third explanation, apparently first mentioned in Guyin Zhengzong (1634) then detailed in the preface to Qinyuan Xinchuan Quanbian (1670) but very commonly mentioned later, connects the melody to a story about He Yun of Lu and the qin he is said to have made, called Dragon's Jaws.¹³ The 1670 preface is as follows,¹⁴

More detail on this story is provided in the introduction to He Yun in Qinshi Bu as well as with the commentary on Dragon's Jaws. It says that the three ancients arrived while he was playing, praised his qin, then taught him two pieces, Bright White Moon (Jiao Yue¹⁵) and Wind and Thunder (Feng Lei).

The second and third stories above are not necessarily in conflict with the specifics of the Metal Bound Box story, but there is still a fourth story to consider. At least one surviving handbook, Lü Hua ¹⁶ (1833), connects Feng Lei Yin with the ancient title Pili Yin¹⁷ (Thunderbolt Prelude), a title originally found and introduced in Qin Cao. This story tells of Chu Shang Liang encountering wind and thunder while walking in the marshes.

Yuefu Shiji has several lyrics for Pili Yin in the Qin Melody Lyrics Section.¹⁸ These add a new dimension to our appreciation of Feng Lei Yin, but there is no real evidence to suggest any melodic connection between the two.

On the other hand, Xu Jian, in Chapter 5B of his Outline History of the Qin, seems to justify including Feng Lei Yin as a Tang dynasty composition based largely on its connection to Pili Yin. His argument focuses on a poem called Pili Yin by the Tang dynasty's Shen Quanqi. He quotes Shen's poem, tells the story of Chu Shangliang, and suggests that this is evidence for the antiquity of the surviving qin melody. related.¹⁹

A musical analysis of the surviving early versions of Feng Lei Yin shows that, although clearly related, they are all quite different.²⁰ This suggests that the melody was actively played during the Ming dynasty. As for the origins of this version, whereas Pili Yin appears on many ancient melody lists, the only list that has Fenglei Yin seems to be the apparently Song dynasty one in Taiyin Daquanji, where it is grouped under gong mode titles. The surviving early versions are in shang mode. With the first tablature for Fenglei Yin appearing first in 1539, there is no particular evidence to suggest that it can be dated back to before the Ming dynasty.

 
Original Preface
None in Fengxuan Xuanpin; the following is the afterword from Xilutang Qintong (1549)²¹

The Duke of Zhou (Zhou Gong) spent some time in the east because (slander from his brothers had meant) everywhere there were rumors (suggesting he was disloyal). Then heaven used a wind with great lightning and thunder to destroy all the grain and uproot great trees. King (Cheng) was then informed of the written statement (Zhou Gong had made and then put) in a Metal Bound Box, thus obtaining what Zhou Gong said about using his own body (to provide security for King Cheng) as a substitute for (the work formerly done by) King Wu, so (King Cheng) was moved to tears and welcomed the Duke back. As a result there is this melody.

1. The crops are fertile everywhere, (but Zhou Gong is often slandered; when he goes out on a military expedition it is said he will use the army to usurp the throne.)
2. (Suddenly there is) a violent wind and heavy rain.
3. The rolling thunder is frightening.
4. Crops are knocked over and trees uprooted.
5. (Suspecting this might be an omen of something, Cheng Wang orders) everyone to put on ceremonial garb, then they open a scroll (kept in a bound metal box)
6. (When Cheng Wang) grasps the scroll (and reads a vow Zhou Gong made years earlier to Wu Wang), he weeps at the realization (of Zhou Gong's unshakable loyalty).
7. A heavy rain causes the wind to go back where it came from.
8. There is a prosperous year in Haojing, (the Zhou capital city).

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Feng Lei Yin 風雷引
Fenglei Yin is the 43rd piece in Fengxuan Xuanpin (風宣玄品, 1539), compiled by Zhu Houjiao (朱厚爝), (Prince of the) Hui Region, central Honan province. Zhu's general preface mentions his collecting his pieces from various schools. However, the handbook has no prefaces to individual melodies.

Regarding references, 44734.403 has only fenglei, with the following definitions.

1. The Yi Jing hexagrams 巽 xun (doubled feng trigram) and 震 zhen (doubled lei trigram). The 益 yi hexagram commentary says, 象曰，風雷，益。君子以見善則遷。有過則改。 The translation of this in Alfred Huang, The Complete I Ching (p.342) is:
   Wind and thunder support each other,
   An image of Increasing.
   In correspondence with this,
   The superior person follows the good when he sees it,
   And corrects his fault when he finds it.

2. 烈風迅雷也。 Strong wind and swift thunder.
3. Refers to loud sounds.
4. Great fear.
5. 勢盛 situation flourishes (?)

2. For further information on shang mode see Shenpin Shang Yi and Modality in Early Ming Qin Tablature.
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3. Image not yet online.
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4. Feng Lei Yin in Mei'an Qinpu
This piece, first published in the Mei'an Qinpu of 1931 (it is not in Longyin Guan Qinpu) is totally unrelated to the earlier melody of this title. It uses "lowered third string" tuning: from standard tuning lower the third string a half tone, giving 1 2 3 5 6 1 2 . There are silk string qin recordings by Guan Pinghu and Wu Zonghan. Fredric Lieberman, A Chinese Zither Tutor, discusses it on pages 95 - 99. His translation of the original preface begins, "This composition is an excellent description of a summer thunderstorm. Much double-stop plucking strengthens the sounds." It goes on to describe in detail how the playing technique describes the storm, but adds no historical information. None of the prefaces to the earlier Feng Lei Yin seems to mention summer, with the Bound Metal Box story in particular being associated with early autumn.
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5. Tracing Feng Lei Yin
Zha's Guide 16/164/-- (see appendix below). 1833 says there were then in existence two versions of this piece, one in 宮音 gong yin, one in 商音 shang yin, but this is not a reference to an early version of the modern melody (see above).
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6. To my knowledge the only recording of this earlier melody is my own. Recorded in 2006, it is available only as an MP3 (see link at top.
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7. Zha Guide, pp. 164-6 (408-410) has commentary from 14 handbooks (many are repetitions). Two (dated 1549 and 1634) have subtitles for each section.
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8. Comparing early surviving versions of Fenglei Yin (see appendix below)
The 1549 version (QQJC III/84: 風雷 Feng Lei) still has 8 sections; after about half way through section 2 it is rather different from 1539 (II/167). In front it elaborates on but combines sections; Section 5 in harmonics is like Section 6 of 1539; 1549 adds what looks like a new section at the end. 1547 (II/514) and 1553 (IV/40) are also rather different from 1539 and each other. This suggests that this melody was quite popular at that time.
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9. 尚書，金縢 Shang Shu: The Metal Bound Box (see also below)
尚書 Shang Shu is a collection of pre-Han dynasty documents. 金 jin of 金縢 jin teng might be translated as "golden" and 縢 teng as "chord" but here it suggests something wrapped in very strong binding, hence jin teng is translated as "metal bound", referring to a box bound with a metal chord. This passage is translated by James Hart in Patricia Ebrey (ed.) under the title The Metal Bound Box, in Chinese Civilization, a Source Book, pp.6-7; see also Legge, The Shoo King, p. 350ff. Note that the storm takes place in autumn, just before the harvest.
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10. 周金縢 Zhou Jin Teng (Metal Bound Box of Zhou)
Qin Cao, Hejian Zage, #6, lists this title and attributes it to Zhou Gong. Extant editions tell a longer version of the same story as that in Xilutang Qintong (see Qin Fu, 747-8), ending with "成王作思慕之歌 Cheng Wang wrote a simu zhi ge" (song of admiring thoughts). 3597.xxx 周金縢 (only 3597.308 周金).
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11. 資益吟 Ziyi Yin
Ziyi Yin (Intonation of Increasing Abundance; 37605.xxx; 10/204 [ziyi]; 23/199/---). The title survives in only two handbooks, Taiyin Chuanxi and Taiyin Buyi. Both have three sections, have the same prefaces and are preludes to Feng Lei Yin. However, the melodies are completely different: the one in Taiyin Buyi seems to be loosely based on the old melody Tianfeng Huanpei (compare also Goudeng Yin); the one in Taiyin Chuanxi may be taken from another source or may be a new composition. Both prefaces to Ziyi Yin say,

12. The original Taiyin Chuanxi preface for Feng Lei Yin is:

13. Source of He Yun story
This is apparently first mentioned together with the melody in Guyin Zhengzong (1634); it is then detailed in the preface to Qinyuan Xinchuan Quanbian (1670), which recounts the story of He Yun and three ancients, saying it is in "Qin History". However, it is not in Zhu Changwen's Qin Shi. Zhou Qingyun in his Qin Shi Bu tells essentially the same story in his short biography of He Yun, #25, giving as his source the Ming dynasty compendium 廣博物志 Guangbowu Zhi. Zhou's preface to Qin Shi Bu mentions a Qin Shi published in the Ming dynasty; perhaps that book also had this story.
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14. The original Chinese preface in 琴苑新傳全編 Qinyuan Xinchuan Quanbian is:
            按琴史，魯人賀雲遇神人所授也。其音疏暢清越，通徹造化，迥然神矣。
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15. Bright Moon (皎月 Jiao Yue)
23236.2xxx; Although this title is attributed to 賀雲 He Yun, it does not seem to be on any old melody lists.
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16. Introduction to Feng Lei Yin in Lü Hua (1833; see in chart)
This version of the melody has 11 sections, calls the mode 無射商 Wuyi shang, adds note names and has a running commentary. The extensive commentary covers a number of points. It begins by saying originally there was Pili Yin, relating the story that says it was created by 楚商梁 Chu Shang Liang; it then adds it "蓋唐人慕古之作也 must have been written by a person of the Tang dynasty who was longing for the past". After this it connects Feng Lei Yin to stories of He Yun of Lu meeting a spirit, playing 風雷 Feng Lei and 皎月 Jiao Yue, of three sages appearing and teaching both,etc. It also says there were two versions: one in 宮音 gong yin and one in 商音 shang yin.
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17. Pili Yin
43433.5 霹靂引 Pili Yin: qin melody name; only reference is to Yuefu Shiji, which it quotes. Zha's Guide does not give Pili Yin as an alternative title to Feng Lei Yin but as a separate melody (35/261/508) found only in the Japanese handbook 和文注琴譜 Hewenzhu Qinpu (QQJC XII, pp. 206 and 266. The melody is totally unrelated, setting to music the YFSJ lyrics by Shen Quanqi.
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18. Pili Yin in Yuefu Shiji
YFJS, Folio 57, #11 (the qin lyrics section), has two conflicting commentaries on Pili Yin:

1. Qin Lun by Xie Xiyi says, "Xia Yu wrote Pili Yin."

2. Yuefu Jieti says, "When Chu Shang Liang was traveling in 雷澤 Thunder Marsh, thunder rolled down. So he played his qin and created this, calling it Pili Yin."

Guo Maoqian adds, "It is not known which is correct." There are then three sets of lyrics, as follows,

1. Emperor Jianwen of Liang

   來從東海上，發自南山陽。
   時聞連鼓響....

2. Xin Deyuan

   出地聲初奮，乘乾威更作。
   雲銜天笑明....

3. Shen Quanqi

   歲七月火伏而金生，客有鼓瑟於門者，奏霹靂之商聲。
   始戛羽以騞砉，終扣宮而砰駖。
   電耀耀兮龍躍，雷闐闐兮雨冥。
   氣嗚唅以會雅，態欻翕以橫生。
   有如驅千旗，制五兵，截荒虺，斮長鯨。
   孰與廣陵比意，別鶴儔精而已。
   俾我雄子魄動，毅夫發立，懷恩不淺，武義雙輯。
   視胡若芥，剪羯如拾。
   豈徒慨慷中筵，備群娛之翕習哉
   To this 和文注琴譜 Hewenzhu Qinpu adds: 故知此也。
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19. Connecting Feng Lei Yin to Pili Yin
Xu Jian makes this connection in an account taken perhaps from Qin History (琴史，卷二，楚商梁 Qin Shi, folio 2, #4; folio 2 has people of the Warring States Period). He quotes the biography there of Chu Shang Liang. That biography, which is fairly long, gives 琴操 Qin Cao as its source. For the story as related in a late edition of Qin Cao (the earliest is attributed to Cai Yong of the Han Dynasty) see Tong Kin-Woon, Qin Fu, pp.744-5.

For the melody itself, though Xu Jian presents it as a Tang dynasty melody, he discusses the version in Wuzhizhai Qinpu (1722). That version, though musically related to the one in Fengxuan Xuanpin, is has many differences. The preface in Wuzhizhai Qinpu mentions only the story about He Yun of Lu.

The only support Xu Jian gives for including it with Tang dynasty melodies is the statement to that effect in Lü Hua (1833), as well as the connection made there (via a poem by Shen Quanqi) between Feng Lei Yin and the Pili Yin story rather than the Metal Bound Box story (also see Zhou Jin Teng above).
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20. Brief musical analysis of surviving versions of Feng Lei Yin
See the appendix below and note that the versions published in 1539, 1549, 1561, 1557, 1589 and 1602 all have eight sections. 1589 and 1602 seem to be structured like 1539, but 1549, 1557 and 1561 all combine sections 4 and 5 from 1539, then add a new section at the end; this new concluding section seems to be related to the first half of 1539 Section 2. The versions of 1553, 1579, 1590 and 1596 all have 9 or 10 sections, but the added ending passage can be found only in 1596, where it forms the second half of Section 9; Section 10 is harmonics. None of these versions seems to have the specific features mentioned by Xu Jian in his analysis of the 1722 version.

Other than 1549, the only version with subtitles is 1634 (see IX/291). There the 10 subtitles are: 一、起蘋生浪；二、出地發天；三、偃草鳴條；四、發萌驚蟄；五、倒海掀江；六、破山送雨；七、播盪乾坤；八、宣揚號令；九、八節吹噓；十、萬物作解；十一、尾聲。 These subtitles seem to have no specific theme. The 10th section, which can be translated as "All things are liberated", seems to be like that of 1553 in that its last section seems to have the material of 1549 section 7 and then 8. The only commentary is a brief note under the title saying He Yun received the melody from three 神人 supernatural beings.
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21. The original Chinese preface from 1549 is as follows:

周公東征，四國流言，天大雷電以風禾盡偃，大木拔。王乃啟金縢之書，得周公以身代武王之說，感泣迎公，遂有此曲。
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22. Original Chinese subtitles from 1549 (compare 1634) are:
      一、穎粟蔽野；二、震風凌雨；三、遊雷虩虩；四、偃禾拔木；五、盡弁啟冊；六、執書泣悟；七、天雨及風；八、鎬京樂歲。
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Appendix: Chart Tracing Feng Lei Yin
Based mainly on Zha Fuxi's Guide, 16/164/--.

琴譜     (year; QQJC Vol/page)	Further information   (see also the brief musical analysis) (QQJC = 琴曲集成 Qinqu Jicheng; QF = 琴府 Qin Fu)
1. 風宣玄品       (1539; II/167)	8; Section 6 and coda have harmonics; no commentary
2. 琴譜正傳       (1561; II/514)	8; no commentary; many changes; seems to combine 1539 #2-5 into #2-4, then repeat some material for new #8 Not in 1546
3. 西麓堂琴統       (1549; III/84)	8T; preface relates Zhou Gong story; section titles reflect this; seems elaboration of 1561 Called Feng Lei; has prelude called Feidian Yin
4. 步虛僊琴譜       (1556; fac/#13)	10; no commentary; harmonics in #7 and at end of #10
5. 太音傳習       (1552; IV/40)	10; preface makes no specific attribution; variant of 1556? Also has prelude: Ziyi Yin
6. 太音補遺       (1557; III/326)	8; same preface as 1552 but music different: seems to be same as 1561 Also has as prelude a different Ziyi Yin
7. 五音琴譜       (1579; IV/211)	9; no commentary; harmonics in #7; version again quite different
8. 玉梧琴譜       (1589; VI/29)	8; same preface as 1552; closer to 1539 (e.g., harmonics in #6, etc
9. 琴書大全       (1590; V/482)	9; no commentary; harmonics for #7 and #9
10. 文會堂琴譜       (1596; VI/218)	10; no commentary; harmonics for #7 and #10
11. 藏春塢琴譜       (1602; VI/333)	8; same preface as 1552; compare 1539
12. 松絃館琴譜       (1614; VIII/90)	9; no commentary; more variations: harmonics in #6 and end of #9 Should be 嚴澂 Yan Cheng's own arrangement, but see first 1760 below
13. 古音正宗       (1634; IX/291)	10T; section titles are included only here and in 1549, but they are completely different. A short note at the front says "賀雲得授於神人 He Yun obtained this melody from a celestial;" from 1670 this was often repeated.
14. 羲軒琴經       (late Ming; IX/413)	10
15. 徽言秘旨       (1647; X/95)	9
16. 徽言秘旨訂       (1692; fac/)	9; same as 1647?
17. 友聲社琴譜       (early Qing; XI/183)	9; only commentary, at front, says, 嚴譜，鄭改 Zheng Fang revision of tablature of Yan Cheng (1614) this book not indexed in Zha Guide
18. 琴苑新傳全編       (1670; XI/339)	11; preface connects the piece with Qin History story of He Yun Lu meeting a spirit: "按琴史，魯人賀雲遇神人所授也。其音疏暢清越，通徹造化，迥然神矣。"
19. 大還閣琴譜       (1673; X/354)	9
20. 澄鑒堂琴譜       (1689; XIV/217)	10;
21. 德音堂琴譜       (1691; XII/505)	9
22. 琴譜析微       (1692; XIII/65)	9; Zha guide has only part of the afterword
23. 五知齋琴譜       (1722; XIV/441)	10; preface tells of He Yun (see 1670); afterword tells of others playing it
24. 臥雲樓琴譜       (1722; fac/)	9; no commentary see facsimile folio 2 #3
25. 琴劍合譜       (1749; ?)	10; no commentary
26. 蘭田館琴譜       (1760; XVI/208)	9; harmonics in #6 and end of #9: seems same as 1614 "徐青山譜 tablature of Xu Qingshan" (徐谼 Xu Hong)
27. 琴香堂琴譜       (1760; XVII/49)	10
28. 自遠堂琴譜       (1802; XVII/234)	10; staff notation of Guan Pinghu's reconstruction is in Guqin Quji, p.82ff Said to be 徵音 zhi mode, but similar to others
29. 裛露軒琴譜       (>1802; ?)	10; 蜀派 Sichuan school "1722 version"; has afterword
30. 小蘭琴譜       (1812; ?)	9; "奇品"; called Feng Lei; afterword mentions Zhou Gong story, then as alternate tells of a person in ancient times having a dream
31. 琴學軔端       (1828; ?)	10; "by He Yun" "有分段"?
32. 律話       (1833)	11; 無射商 Wuyi shang mode; "written by a person of the Tang dynasty who was longing for the past" Long and detailed commentary: see further details above (compares the melody with Pili Yin)
33. 槐蔭書屋琴譜       (1840)	10; 黃鐘調商音; afterword has no specifics
34. 張鞠田琴譜       (1844)	10; 徵調商音; 工尺譜; preface relates He Yun of Lu story; afterword
35. 蕉庵琴譜       (1868; fac/)	10; 徵音; He Yun story; same as 1722, but with added comment at end
36. 天聞閣琴譜       (1876)	10; from 1802; included with 徵音
37. 響雪齋琴譜       (1876)	9
38. 希韶閣琴譜       (1878)	10; 商音; relates He Yun story; says there used to be two versions, 蜀 Shu (Sichuan) and 熟 (Changshou: Yushan school?). Shu version used here (see also 1802+ above).
39. 枯木禪琴譜       (1893; fac/)	10; 商音; relates He Yun story
40. 琴學初津       (1894)	10; 宮音; with extra to make 11 sections; preface relates He Yun of Lu story
41. 琴學叢書       (1910; 琴府/1024)	10; from 1802 has a comment about changing tuning (?)
42. 梅庵琴譜       (1931)	7; 林鐘調，宮音; new melody but still attributed to He Yun Commentary says it describes a summer storm: other commentaries do not mention summer
43. 夏一峰傳譜       (1957)	古琴曲彙編 Guqinqu Huibian #14 is the old version, #16 is the Mei'an version
44. 愔愔室琴譜       (2000/63)	"By He Yun"; 慢角調 （Mei'an)

 
Return to the annotated handbook list or to the Guqin ToC.