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Qin Shi      
King Ji
- Qin Shi #6		 王季 1
琴史 #6 2

King Ji, whose original name was Jili, was the youngest son of Gugong Danfu (Tai Wang), and the father of 昌 Chang (Wen Wang).

The account here begins by following Shi Ji #4 (GSR I, p.57), substituting the phrase 祇迪厥德 ("only/spirit followed their/her virtue"?) for 皆賢婦人 ("were both worthy ladies").3

The melody Aishang zhi Ge4 (Song of Sad Affection) is mentioned in Cai Yong Qin Cao commentary on Zhou Taibo,5 the second melody of the Hejian Zage.

The original biography in Qin Shi is as follows.

Wang Ji was a son of Tai Wang. Tai Wang had an eldest son named Taibo; the next one was named 虞仲 Yuzhong. (His wife) 太姜 Taijiang gave birth to a younger son named 季歷 Jili. Jili married 太任 Tairen. (Taijiang and Tairen) only followed their virtue. (When Tairen) gave birth to Chang (Wen Wang) happy omens suggested he would be a sage. Gugong said, In my time there should be one who succeeds (to power): will it not be Chang? Taibo and Yuzhong, knowing that Gugong wished to promote Jili in order to pass authority to Chang, both ran off to Jingman, tattooing their bodies and cutting their hair in order to yield (their seniority) to Jili. When Gugong died, (Jili) became King Ji.

(King Ji), thinking of Taibo, whom he couldn't see, wrote Song of Sad Affection, as seen in Qin Cao. Its lyrics begin,

先王既徂，長霣異都。哀喪傷心，未寫中懷。

They also say,

Further details in preparation. 3

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1 王季 Wang Ji, original name 季歷 Ji Li (or Jili) (Return)

2 10 lines (Return)

3 ?? (Return)

4 哀慕之歌 Aishang zhi Ge (Song of Sad Affection)
Aishang zhi Ge (3605.148 only Sad Affection) is here attributed to King Ji. The Cai Yong Qin Cao commentary on 周太伯 Zhou Taibo, the second melody of the Hejian Zage, also says King Ji wrote Aishang zhi Ge, quoting the entire lyrics. This seems to suggest that it was the same as Zhou Taibo (see next footnote.) (Return)

5 周太伯 Zhou Taibo
Zhou Taibo (3597.xxx; 5965.211 太伯 double surname of Gugong Danfu's eldest son, so named because Gugong's youngest son, King Ji, called him "great uncle") is the title of the second melody of the Hejian Zage section of Cai Yong's Qin Cao. See previous footnote. (Return)

6 (Return)

 

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