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Huan Tan
- Qin Shi #73 |
桓譚 1
琴史 #73 2 |
Huan Tan (ca. 43 BCE - 28 CE), style name 君山 Junshan, was from a family of musicians originating in 相 Xiang, part of 沛 Pei district, modern northern Anhui. Perhaps through his father Huan Tan became a 郎 Gentleman, then was a senior official during the inter-regnum of Wang Mang. For a long time he was widely respected as a critic. His writings survive only in fragments.
Huan Tan's Xin Lun,3 said originally to have been in 29 folios, is also said to be a work reconstructed from later quotes. Quotes concerning the qin can be found in:
Qinshu Cunmu #10, Huan Tan's 琴操 Qin Cao, gives some biographical information on Han Tan, then says he was unable to complete his Xin Lun, which includes a chapter called 琴道 Qin Dao. And so Han emperor Suzong (r.76-89) ordered Ban Gu (32 - 92 CE) to complete it.
The entry in Qinshu Cunmu goes on to include a number of quotes from a variety of sources. This includes a comment that suggests that this Qin Cao was actually not written by Huan Tan. However, it does not seem to give enough information about the contents of this Qin Cao to determine whether passages in Qin Shi that give "Qin Cao" as a reference (generally these references do not seem to be in Cai Yong's Qin Cao) might be referring to the work described here.
Qinshu Cunmu #11, Huan Tan's 續成琴道，一篇 Xucheng Qin Dao, has a brief discussion suggesting this work may have been a continuation to #10, Qin Cao.
The original essay in Qin Shi begins as follows.
Huan Tan had the style name Junshan. During the reign (32 - 8 BCE) of Han emperor Chengdi his father had been 太樂 Tai Yue....
Not yet completed.
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a
separate page)
1. 15061.72 桓譚, from 相 Xiang; mentions his 新論 Xin Lun, 29 Folios. Lowe, Biographical Dictionary, discusses this and says he wrote an incomplete essay on the zither. Also discussed in Xu Jian Chapter 2.A. (pp.14/5). (Return)
3.
Xin Lun (新論: Tract for the Times; New Treatise)
This book, as described above, did not survive intact. Instead it was reconstructed later from extracts that had been quoted in various sources. It covers philosophy, culture, economy, nature and anomalies. See Timothy Pokora, Hsin-lun (New Treatise) and Other Writings by Huan T'an (43 B.C. - 28 A.D.): An Annotated Translation with Index. Michigan Papers in Chinese Studies #20 (Ann Arbor: Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan, 1975).
(Return)
4. A footnote to the Qinyuan Yaolu page translates the passage describing the appearance of the qin: rounded on top, flat on bottom. (Return)
Return to QSCB, or to the Guqin ToC.