Emperor Shun

Shun, traditional dates 2317-2208, here called Di Shun (Emperor Shun), is also called Yu Shun. The main source of information about him is his biography in Sima Qian's Shi Ji (Records of the Grand Historian).⁴ The account there relates his filial nature as a child, his marriage to two daughters of Emperor Yao, Yao's appointing Shun as emperor, and Shun's death in Cangwu (Jiuyi mountains).

Shun has a number of associations with the qin (as well as at least one with the se⁵). As his entry below indicates, he is said to have created two qin songs. Since Shun is said to have played a five-string qin these melodies all use only five strings.⁶

Si Qin Cao
Nan Feng Ge (see also Nan Xun Ge and Nan Feng Chang).

In addition, the commentary on at least four other melodies connects them with Shun. These use the standard seven strings:

Xiaoshao Jiucheng, Fenghuang Lai Yi⁷
Shi Ji says that Music Master Kui played this for Shun.
Xiang Fei Yuan
A song in which Shun's two wives, E Huang and Nü Ying, lament his death.
Cangwu Yuan
An instrumental melody on the same theme.
Jiuyi Yin (alternate title for Fan Canglang)
Shun is not directly mentioned, but Guo Chuwang seems to have him in mind.

Passages in Qinshu Daquan connected to Shun include the following.

Folio 11, #25 quotes a Qin Shu saying Shun created a melody called Jiu Zou.

Folio 16, #4 has the account in the Book of Rites of him playing the five-string qin

Folio 16, #8 has an account of this story from The Records of the Grand Historian;
this passage is quoted in full in a footnote to Nanxun Ge, and in part with Nanfeng Ge

Folio 16, #14 has two other stories, from Mencius, about Shun playing the qin.

Qin illustration 4 in Taiyin Daquanji claims to be a depiction of his 虞舜 Yu Shun qin, quoting Qin Qing Ying (by Yang Xiong). It adds the stories that he played the five string qin and the world was well ordered, and that Wen Wang added two strings.⁸ Illustration 5 is his Music Official's (伶官 Ling Guan) qin.

The Qin Shi entry is as follows,

Emperor Shun continued in Yao's position. Laws and governing daily became more clear, rites and music daily became more complete. Confucius stated and wrote that only during the period from 唐(堯) Tang (Yao) to 虞(舜) Yu (Shun) was the world properly in order. Before this things were not ready; afterwards nothing was improved. As emperor he was humble, using the qin to amuse himself.

Mencius said, Shun had a qin by his bed even through the difficulties with (his father) 瞽瞍 Gusou and (his brother) 象 Xiang; in this way he could continue to play and sing, and not be troubled in his mind, and his filial nature would continue to improve. An old tradition says that the melody Si Qin Cao concerns this.

When the time came for him to be emperor he played the five-string qin and accompanied himself by singing Nanfeng Ge, and as a result the world was well-regulated. The words of this song are as follows,

Southern winds' vapors can be used to resolve my people's irritations.
Southern winds' timeliness can be used to make abundant my people's wealth.

At that time a harmonious spirit filled heaven and earth, and covered its plants and animals. (Thus) (尚)書 Shang Shu (The Venerated Documents) say, 簫韶九成，鳳凰來儀 "When all nine parts of Xiaoshao have been completed, the male and female phoenix arrive appropriately." This is the greatest extreme of harmony.

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Shun or Yu Shun 舜、虞舜
31025/5 舜 says to see 33531.126 虞舜 Yu Shun, which has an illustration. Also known by the praise name 重華 Chonghua. Don't confuse 虞 Yu with 禹 Yu. Anne Birrell, Chinese Mythology, discusses him in detail, translating his name as Hibiscus. See also Wikipedia. (Return)

2. 8 lines (Return)

3. The image is from a website called Changing Trip. (Return)

4. See Nienhauser, The Grand Scribe's Records, I, p. 8ff. (Return)

5. A story from Lüshi Chunqiu, translated in Knoblock and Riegel, is related in a footnote to Origins of the Qin. (Return)

6. A footnote under the earliest Nan Feng Ge traces various melodies with a similar theme. (Return)

7. Xiaoshao Jiucheng, Fenghuang Laiyi: Panpipes Play Shao Nine Times, and Phoenixes Attend
Qinpu Zhengchuan (1547) has the first of five qin pu with this title. See Zha Guide 18/177/-- . Other titles used for it are:

鳳凰來儀 Fenghuang Laiyi: Phoenixes Attend (used in later qin handbooks)
神鳳引 Shenfeng Yin: Holy Phoenix Prelude (? see Zha 18/177/-- )
神鳳操 Shenfeng Cao: Holy Phoenix Lament (see YFSJ, Folio 57, #19: "also called Fenghuang Laiyi")
儀鳳歌 Yi Feng Ge: Attending Phoenix Song (Hejian Zage #7 in Qin Cao)

中文大辭典 Dictionary references mostly quote the full title:

44241/1 Shao: music of Shun; (說文 Shuo Wen) 簫韶九成，鳳凰來儀
27100.12 Xiaoshao: music of Shun; (書，益稷)簫韶九成，鳳凰來儀 with the explanation that Shao was the music of Shun, and here it is played on small instruments [the xiao being a small instrument, panpipes in the early illustration, only later an end-blown flute])
27100.13 Xiaoshao Yingfen: Xiaoshao played nine times to form a melody
25211.391 Shenfeng Cao: qin lyrics in Yuefu Shiji, also called Fenghuang Laiyi
1181.92 is only 儀鳳 Yifeng, another name for 鳳凰 fenghuang

Shi Ji says that when Music Master 夔 Kui played music for Shun to honor Yu, (GSR I, p.35) "the deceased ancestors all arrived (to enjoy the sacrifices), the lords all yielded to each other, the birds and beasts all began to soar and dance." And when he played Xiaoshao Jiucheng, Fenghuang Laiyi, the beasts danced and the officials were all in harmony. Because of this Shun wrote a song. Shi Ji adds lyrics he and others wrote and sang for this.

However, neither the surviving qin melody nor the YFSJ entry mention Shun or these lyrics. They all refer to a later event, in which Cheng Wang celebrates his success with this melody and some new lyrics. The YFSJ entry also does not mention the Qin Cao reference to Yi Feng, although it also says it is by Cheng Wang and it includes the same lyrics, plus an extra line.

The YFSJ entry for "Shenfeng Cao, also called Fenghuang Laiyi" is as follows.

Guqin Yuelu says, "At the time of Cheng Wang of Zhou "鳳皇" (sic) imperial phoenixes danced, so he wrote this song."

Xie Xiyi's Qin Lun says, "Cheng Wang wrote Shenfeng Cao 言德化之感也 to speak of the feelings of its making things virtuous."

Qin Ji says, "Fenghuang Laiyi" was written by Cheng Wang."

Cheng Wang:
鳳凰翔兮於紫庭，予何德兮以感靈。
賴先人兮恩澤臻，于胥樂兮民以寧。
(琴操，儀鳳歌 Qin Cao, Yifeng Ge adds: 鳳凰來兮，百獸晨。) (Return)

8. All of this is quoted from Qin Qing Ying? (Return)

9. (Return)

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