Minzi (born 535 BCE) was a nickname of Min Sun, another disciple of Confucius; he is also called Min Ziqian.³ The Qin Shi essay relates some stories told by a book attributed to #24 Zengzi. For example, Minzi and Zengzi once overheard Confucius playing the qin. Minzi thought the tune changed from light and clear to deep and sad, etc., these expressing a desire for gain. He was right: Confucius had just seen a cat catch a mouse.⁴

Qin illustration 14 in Taiyin Daquanji is one called Hidden Appearance (Yan Rong⁵); the accompanying comments say Minzi made it and that he wrote three melodies praising Confucius, Li Dong⁶, Yun Zhao⁷ and Tian He.⁸

Elsewhere he is said to have written Cuizi Du He Cao⁹ and Canxing Cao. The latter, a surviving melody also found in Cai Yong's Qin Cao (number 10 of the 12 Laments, concerns dreaming he saw an animal that looked like a fox without a head.

The original Qin Shi essay begins as follows.¹⁰

Further details in preparation.

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 42154.46 閔損 Min Sun; may also be called 閔子騫 Min Ziqian (Minzi Qian?) or simply Ziqian. (Return)

2. 10 lines (Return)

3. 閔子騫 Min Ziqian (Minzi Qian?) (Return)

4. As for this cat (or fox) and mouse story, the ability of Minzi to realize from Confucius' qin play that he was anxious is also related in such sources as 孔叢子 Kong Congzi (see Qinshu Daquan, Folio 16, #27) and Han Shi Waizhuan (ibid., Folio 16, #31). A similar story has Cai Yong playing the qin while hoping a preying mantis will catch a cicada. The cat and mouse version had a modern re-telling in a booklet from the English Service of China Radio International (Q & A on China, Vol.3, July 2004, p.36, "What is the Guqin?"). (Return)

5. 掩容 Yan Rong; Xinkan Taiyin Daquanji calls it 振谷 Zhen Gu, apparently a mistake. (Return)

6. 離洞 Li Dong (Verdant Grotto)
43079.xxx; compare Li Dong Yun (Return)

7. 雲朝 Yun Chao (Cloud Palace)
43170.xxx (Return)

8. 天鶴 Tian He (Heavenly Crane)
5961.xxx; 5961.1343 天鶴座 Tianhe zuo is the name of a constellation (compare Yao Tian Sheng He).
Minzi is also said to have written Zhao Tianhe (14705.20xxx zhaotian). (Return)

9. 崔子渡河操 Cuizi Du He Cao
Cuizi Du He (8405.9) is attributed to Minzi. Qin Cao, Hejian Zage, #10, says he wrote it after his mother died and his step-mother tried to get rid of him. The title is also included in the Qin Shu, melody list. (Return)

10. The Chinese original begins,

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