This handbook, in two folios, has 36 melodies, none with lyrics or commentary.² Four of the melodies have their earliest surviving version here:

1. Jing Guan Yin
2. Shuixian Qu (reconstructed)
3. Xiangyang Ge
4. Ruilong Yin

At the beginning of each folio is the statement, "Revised and engraved by Shen Regional Protective Prince Dexuan;" the author of the preface has what seems to be the same title.³ Some further information is included in the Preface by Zha Fuxi, translated below.

 
Preface
by Zha Fuxi⁴
from Qinqu Jicheng, Vol. 4
Beijing, Zhonghua Shuju Chuban Faxing, 1982

(This qin handbook), in the collection of Shanghai Library,⁵ is a Ming dynasty edition, in two folios. It was compiled by the Ming Regional Prince Zhu Cheng.⁶ It has a preface, dated autumn, (the 15th night of) the 8th lunar month of the 7th year of the Wanli reign (1579), by Shen'guo Baoding Prince De Xuan. The first folio has melodies in the gong and shang modes. The last folio has melodies in the (jiao, zhi, yu and) shangjiao modes as well as modes using non-standard tuning.⁷ There are 36 melodies in all.

The author's own preface says,

Since this was a handbook which he himself used, it has differences from the collecting and storing style of the other tablature collections of all early periods. Its own style is uniform, as are its techniques.

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 262.539 五音 wuyin: gong, shang, jiao, zhi, yu.
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2. 19 of the 36 melodies are in Shen Qi Mi Pu (1425).
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3. Shen Regional Protective Prince Dexuan
The commentary by Zha Fuxi/Wu Zhao does not elaborate on this name, only quoting the statement at the end of the preface, "Recorded by Dexuan, Protective Prince of Shen Principality" (Shen Guo Baoding Wang Dexuan ti 瀋國保定王德軒題). The Zha/Wu commentary does not mention that this name is repeated at the beginning of folios 1 and 2 (IV/195 and /222), changing only the second character: it has 藩 fan instead of 國 guo (i.e., Shen Fan Baoding Wang Dexuan jiao kan 瀋藩保定王德軒校刊). However, the meaning seems to be the same.

Here is my understanding of this name, in part from consulting a Chinese Wikipedia template about Shen Guo:

• Shen Fan and Shen Guo (瀋藩、瀋國)
  Both of these seem to mean "Shen Region". 朱模 Zhu Mo, the 21st son of Zhu Yuanzhang, founder of the Ming dynasty, was enfeoffed as 瀋簡王 Shenjian Prince in 潞州 Luzhou, later called 潞安府 Lu'an Fu (18839.6: 今山西省長治縣 modern day Changzhi district, southeast Shanxi province). His descendents were various types of 瀋... Shen... princes, including a 瀋定王 Shending prince 朱珵堯 Zhu Chengyao (14779.xxx; Bio/xxx) who ruled from 1584 to 1638. Zha/Wu identify the compiler of Wuyin Qinpu as 朱珵 Zhu Cheng (朱珵 might also be pronounced Zhu Ting). This suggests that Zhu Cheng was a prince within the branch of the royal family responsible for Lu'an district of southeastern Shanxi province. It should be noted that in the year of Zhu Chengyao's accession, 1584, the princedom of 潞 Lu was created in neighboring 闈輝府 Weihui district of what is today northern Henan province, with 朱翊鏐 Zhu Yiliu (1568 - 1614) as the first 潞王 Prince of Lu. Zhu Yiliu was father of the famous qin making 潞王 Prince of Lu, 朱常淓 Zhu Changfang. The qin handbook compiled by Zhu Changfang, Guyin Zhengzong, seems to have little if any connection to Wuyin Qinpu.

  18963/2 says 瀋 shen is the same as 沈 shen, the character used by Zha/Wu. The only shen fan in the dictionary (瀋藩 18963.xxx) is 沈藩 17529.635 草名 a grass name. There are no entries for shen guo (瀋國、沈國; 17529.352 is 沈國模 a person's name), shen fan (瀋藩、沈藩), or shen wang (瀋王、沈王); 33076.35 藩國 fan guo says "old term for a principality"; this and 33076.3 藩王 fan wang cite only ancient sources and seem to suggest it means a guardian of the frontier. However, Hucker translates fan wang as "regional prince". This suggests that 瀋藩 Shen fan (Shen region) has a similar meaning to 瀋國 Shen guo (Shen principality).

  Also regarding Shen, the major dictionary reference suggests it should refer to the area around 瀋陽 or 沈陽 Shenyang. However, this conflicts with the other information.

• Protective Prince (保定王 Baoding Wang)
  The main commentary on 694.76 保定 Baoding refers to the place called Baoding, a town and region about 140 km southwest of Beijing; the town is on the east side of the 府 fu of that name. However, the original meaning of baoding is 694.76/1 無事安泰 free and tranquil or 1/1390 保護而安定 protect and settle.

• De Xuan: 朱德軒 Zhu Dexuan? Another name for 朱珵 Zhu Cheng of 瀋 Shen?
  10480.xxx; 14799.xxx (Zhu Dexuan); 21484 珵 says this character can also be pronounced "ting": Zhu Ting? Whatever the correct version or pronunciation is, this is presumably the prince's proper name. The handbook uses only the title and name 瀋國保定王德軒 Shen Guo Baoding Wang Dexuan, but from this it seems that Zha Fuxi/Wu Zhao found a source identifying Dexuan (or Zhu Dexuan) as another name for Zhu Cheng (or Zhu Ting). However, they do not give any details about this (or mention his possible connection with the famous Prince of Lu, Zhu Changfang).
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4. 查阜西 Zha Fuxi, edited by 吳鉊 Wu Zhao
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5. 上海圖書館; still in the Shanghai Library?
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6. The meaning of this and the following names is discussed above.
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7. Above the title for Zhuangzhou Mengdie, which is in the shangjiao mode, is the word "appendix". The four following pieces are identified as "non-standard tuning": Ao Ai and Yang Guan use ruibin mode, but this is not mentioned, though the tuning method is given at the front of Ao Ai; Li Sao uses qiliang mode (this is mentioned in the table of contents); Feiming Yin uses guxian mode, but this is not mentioned, though its tuning method is given. Mode names are also mentioned in the central column which has the page numbers, but there are mistakes.
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8. The preface misprints this as "30". The handbook's own table of contents does indeed list 31 melodies. The one here has 36 because it includes the five modal preludes, which in the book's own text but not in its Table of Contents.
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9. He adds, "I have sighed over this many times."
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Return to the annotated handbook list or to the Guqin ToC.