Shenhua Yin, in early handbooks also called Diemeng You, Diemeng Yin² and Quxu Yin,³ survives in 32 handbooks to 1914. It has the same basic theme as the other shangjiao mode piece, #60 Zhuangzhou Mengdie, and in fact the title was almost as popular through 1802 (29 compared to 33 handbooks). However, the melody found here was changed into (or exchanged for) a very new melody around 1600; after this the title refers to quite a different melody.

Modally Shenhua Yin is somewhat ambiguous. As with other shangjiao mode pieces, the main note is do (1, gong), played on the open first string. However, it starts on a sharpened do, emphasizing that at the beginning the mode is based on la treated as do. It then switches to do natural still based on la before moving the tonal center to do. This is something lost in later versions.

A quite new version of this title can be found in Zangchunwu Qinpu, dated 1602. Instead of three sections it has two, the second one very long. It seems to be the basis for most later versions, which expanded considerably on it, generally having five to 12 sections. Qinyuan Xinchuan Quanbian in 1670 published a version with 38 sections; it seems unrelated musically to the others and cannot be found in other handbooks.

Zhu Quan's preface to #60 Zhuangzhou Mengdie gives details of the famous story.

There is a recording of the standard later version of this title by Xie Daoxiu, said to be from a lost Gugang Yipu⁴ (Guangdong school).

 
Original Preface

The Emaciated Immortal says

the flavor of this piece has the idea of gracefully casting off the dust and dregs (of society). (The player's) spirit and body all transform, and he imagines himself floating unconsciously among trees, springs and large hills, where bees and butterflies flutter about, and in forgetting (oneself) beyond the realm of objective existence.

 
Three sections
(Titles from Zheyin Shizi Qinpu⁵)

(00.00) 1. Gracefully
(00.30) 2. Cast off the dust (of society)
(01.05) 3. The body transforms (into spirit)
(01.58) Piece ends (no harmonics indicated)

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Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 神化引 25211.33 shenhua: 神化，變化神妙也。 Nothing about Zhuangzi. (Return)

2. 蝶夢遊 and 蝶夢吟 34086.51 diemeng has Zhuangzi story; nothing on music. (Return)

3. 籧栩吟 In the story Zhuangzi is xuxuran (栩栩然) butterfly then ququran (籧籧然) Zhuangzi; (33299.33 蘧蘧然 has nothing on music and 27379. 籧 has nothing). (Return)

4. 古岡遺譜 Gugang Yipu
This is an apparently lost Ming dynasty handbook, some of whose melodies were preserved in the Guangdong school's Wuxue Shanfang Qinpu. See also Bijian Liu Quan. (Return)

5. The original Chinese titles are:
1. 飄然
2. 塵脫
3. 物化 (Return)

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