I. Qin Cao 琴操 (missing the Five Melodies and 21 Hejian Zage: see the Pingjin Guan edition Table of Contents)
    QSCM #10, #12 and #18 are all Qin Cao.⁴

1. (Preface?) 11/1
2. Finger methods 12/1
3. Finger diagrams and explanations 13/1
4. rhythm (discusses Zui Weng Yin) 29/2

1. (製琴 Making a Qin -- Why not this section title?)
   制造 Construction; quotes 李勉 Li Mian, 琴記 Qin Ji (琴說 Qin Shuo?)
   and 齊松 Qi Song, 琴記 Qin Ji; 34/2
   製琴法 Construction methods 36/2
   Boiling wood for brightness method 40/1
   Mixing for bright qin method 40/2
   Taking off brightness and bringing out brightness method 41/1
   Making strings method 41/1
   Boiling strings method 42/2
   Wrapping strings method (with illustrations) 43/1
2. 辨徽 Explaining the studs (hui) 44/1
3. 辨音 Explaining the tones (yin) 45/2
4. 彈法 Playing method 47/2
5. 琴說 Discussing Qin 49/2
   Rules: 10 uglies, 5 no-plays 50/1
6. 辨曲 Distinguishing melodies 50/1
7. 曲名 Melody names (99+57+97) 50/2
8. (指法 Finger techniques)
   Figures for right hand strokes 54/1
   Figures for left hand strokes 54/1
   Method of combining these figures 54/2
   Right hand finger techniques 54/2
9. 善琴 Praising the qin 56/2

 
V. Cutting Qin Method (碧落子，Zhuo Qin Fa 斲琴法)
     QSCM, #125, by Biluozi (石汝礪 Shi Ruli) 60/1

1. Fixing the size of materials 60/2
2. Size of the qin body 61/1
3. Paring the surface method 62/1
4. Tuning the sounds method 62/2
5. Comparing the size of old qins method 63/2
6. Qin color style method 65/1

目錄 Table of contents (66/1)
1. 選材 Selecting Materials (66/1)
2. etc. (20 items)

 
  IX.  Fengsu Tong, Discussion of sounds (風俗通，音聲論) 77/2
         This passage from Fengsu Tong is also quoted in QSDQ, but the end is different.
         Tacked on at end: a passage from the Xin Lun by Huan Tan discussing the origins of the qin.⁵

 
   X.  Qin Discussion (琴論) 78/2
         QSCM, #67; by Yao Jianji (姚兼濟)

 
In the Beijing reprint of Qinyuan Yaolu there is here (p. 80/1) a brief comment by 馮水 Feng Shui (modern) on this edition. After that is an appendix called 太音大全手訣 Finger explanations from Taiyin Daquan; these are the same as can be found in Taiyin Daquanji (See QQJC, I, p.79ff). There is then another afterword by Feng Shui.

Qinyuan Yaolu is mentioned in various places on this site, including,

1. Han Yu,
2. Qinshi Chubian, 6A1 (ref. Yi Hai),
3. Wusheng Qinpu,
4. Shen Qi Mi Pu Preface,
5. Zhi Zhao Fei,
6. Qishan Cao,
7. Juyou Cao,
8. Yueshang Cao,
9. Lü Shuang Cao,
10. Zuiweng Yin (on rhythm).

I am still not sure about many things concerning this book.⁶

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 21570.xxx; 中國音樂思想批批判 Zhongguo Yinyue Sixiang Pipan (1965), pp.149/150, mentions two available editions, 瞿氏舊藏明抄本 (Old Ming copybook in the collection of the Qu Family), and 據明抄本傳抄晒印 (A blueprint [?] based on the Ming hand copy). The Qu family edition was in their Iron Qin Bronze Sword Tower (鐵琴銅劍樓 Tieqin Tongjian Lou 41848.242), the library of 瞿鏞 Qing Yong (Bio/2581), with books mostly collected by his father 瞿紹基 Qi Shaoji (1772 - 1836). The introduction to Wusheng Qinpu says, "The original copy was in the collection of the Qu family of Changshou (in Jiangsu province, north of Suzhou), but now it has been returned (sic) to the Beijing Library. It is a sister volume to a hand copy of Qinyuan Yaolu in a collection dating from the Zheng De period (1506-22)." Qinshu Cunmu (see below) makes no mention of Wusheng Qinpu, saying instead that it was together with Qin Shi. (Return)

2. Qinshu Cunmu says it is 舊抄本 an old handcopy, then writes,

3. The edition I have of Qinyuan Yaolu was printed in facsimile form in Beijing together with an excerpt (手訣 Shou Jue) from Taiyin Daquanji (the latter is also in QQJC, I, pp.79 - 83). This Qinyuan Yaolu is apparently a copy of the version that was in the Iron Qin Bronze Sword Tower (鐵琴銅劍樓 Tieqin Tongjian Lou 41848.242), the library of 瞿鏞 Qing Yong (Bio/2581), with books mostly collected by his father 瞿紹基 Qi Shaoji (1772 - 1836). The afterword by 馮水 Feng Shui in the Beijing edition begins as follows:

4. What is included in this edition of Qinyuan Yaolu actually begins with a section called 古操十二章 12 Old Laments, but the section introduces 20 melodies. If compared with the 平津館 Pingjin Guan edition of 蔡邕琴操 the Qin Cao of Cai Yong (see editions), it can be seen that this Qinyuan Yaolu edition has the first 11 of the 12 cao, then (without a heading) the nine preludes (引 yin) which form the middle two sections of the Pingjin Guan edition. Here the title of the 12th cao and a heading for the nine yin have been added. (Return)

5. DeWoskin, Song, p.115, includes the translation by Timothy Pokora (see details) of this passage from Xin Lun. The passage includes the following description:

Clearly this is describing the rounded top and the flat bottom that one finds on all qin. The translation may thus be somewhat misleading. In an article from 2007 on early qin-type instruments Prof. Bo Lawergren interprets this passage as referring to round and square areas on the early qin-types, then compares this with the two sound posts now found inside the qin (in the reverse direction), the rounded one called tianzhu (heavenly pillar), the square one dizhu (earthly pillar). Yuan (圓) means rounded as well as circular and lian (歛 or 斂) seems to suggests the way it meets the flat surface. Fang, in addition to "square", can also suggest rectangular (e.g., it can refer to a wooden tally, which was rectangular).
(Return)

6. For example, see the Shen Qi Mi Pu Preface comment about Qin Shu. Is this the same book as that mentioned by Wang Shixiang in a footnote of his Guangling San article? In his comments on the Qin Shu in Qinyuan Yaolu, Wang quotes from the version above then adds that 周慶雲，琴書存目 Zhou Qingyun's Qinshu Cunmu includes a Qin Shu written during the 景祐 Jingyou period (1034-38) of the Song dynasty (see QSCM #96 [Folio III, #8]). (Return)

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