Yan Hui

Yan Hui (514 -483), literary name Ziyuan and also called Yanzi (Master Yan), was poor, but he was the favorite disciple of Confucius, who would visit him when not otherwise busy. Since all of the Master's students had to understand music Yanzi of course did as well. In this passage he plays the qin for Confucius, but no title is given here.

Yasheng Cao is a later melody written in praise of Yan Hui.³ And he can be connected to the melody Xuan Mei because Zhuangzi relates Yan Hui telling Confucius that he can just "sit and forget".

The Qin Shi article is as follows (original below):

Yan Hui, style name Ziyuan, had great ethics that were only slightly different from those of Confucius. He was ("missing passage") a close disciple of Confucius. Regarding those who did not yet understand pleasure , eating from a plain bowl, drinking from a gourd, and living in a poor alleyway: others could not have endured this, but (Yan) Hui still enjoyed himself. .... (translation incomplete)

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Yan Hui
44545.35 顏回, son of .143 無繇 Wuyou (a former student of Confucius), style name 子淵 Ziyuan (later called 顏子 Yanzi: Master Yan). His qin playing is discussed in the book of Liezi. (Return)

2. 10 lines, as follows:
顏回，字子渊，道德充茂，去夫子一間耳。孔子（缺）之門人，蓋未有不知樂者，況子淵乎？故一簞食，一瓢飲，在陋巷，人不堪其憂，而回也不改其樂。知樂之致也。仲尼閑居，子貢入侍，而有憂色。子貢不敢問，出告顏回，顏回援琴而歌。孔子聞之，果召回入，問曰：「若奚獨樂？」回曰：「樂天知命故不憂。」回所以樂也。孔子曰，「汝徒知樂天知命之無憂，未知樂天知命有憂之大也。夫樂而知者非古人之所謂樂知也，無樂無知是真樂真知；故無所不樂，無所不知，無所不憂，無所不為。顏回拜手曰：「回亦得之矣！」弦歌誦書終身不輟。 (Return)

3. Image: 顏回真影 True Image of Yan Hui
From an old woodblock print copied in 孔子聖蹟圖, p.140.
(Return)

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