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Qin Shi Bu      
Lü Wei
- Qin Shi Bu #81		 呂渭 1
琴史補 #81 2

Lü Wei (735 - 800) was from an area that is now southwest Shanxi province. The account tells the origins of his handbook Guangling Zhixi Pu. It first tells the story of Yuan Xiaoni (style name of Yuan Zhun) using a trick to to learn the melody Guangling San, Li Liangfu3 writing it down as Guangling Zhixi Pu, in 23 sections, then transmitting it to the Buddhist monk Si Gu of Loyang,4 who in turn passed it on to Zhang Lao5 of Chang'an.

The original biography in Qin Shi Bu is as follows.

Lü Wei, style name Junzai, was from Hezhong. He became jinshi during 785 - 805 and rose in rank to be palace aide to the Censor-in-Chief. He once compiled a Guangling Zhixi Pu. Zhixi refers to Guangling San. Xi Shuye 思及幽冥神受此調 (had learned this from a spirit.) At time the spirit had made an agreement that (Guangling San would not be transmitted to people, (so Xi Kang) would only play it in the mountain forest where there was no one around. His friend Yuan Xiaoni, was also skilled at qin, wanted to learn it but had been unable to. So he pretended to be dead. His mother told Xi Kang, You were stingy (about this melody) when he was alive. Now will you soothe him in death? Moved by her words Xi Kang 屏人鼓之 played it (by his coffin?). Yuan Xiaoni, being very clever, from hearing it just once was able to learn it. In this way Guangling San was transmitted. Li Liangfu, then a military officer in Hedong, learned the fingering (from Yuan Xiaoni) and wrote Guangling Zhixi Pu, in 23 sections, in order to transmit it to Si Gu, a monk in Loyang. Si Gu in turn passed it on to Zhang Lao of Chang'an. Then Lü Wei added to the tablature, making 36 sections, and so on.

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1 呂渭 Lü Wei (Bio/528), style name 君載 Junzai, from 河中 Hezhong. Source given for this entry: 蓴湖漫錄 Chunhu Manlu.) (Return)

2 (Return)

3 李良輔 Li Liangfu
Li Liangfu (Bio/xxx) was 河東司戶參軍 a military officer in Hedong. He is credited in QSCM with a Guangling Zhixi Pu. It does not mention 23 sections: this is discussed in the Wang Shixiang article. (Return)

4 思古 Si Gu
僧思古 The Buddhist monk Si Gu learned Guangling Zhixi and in turn passed it on to Zhang Lao (Return)

5 張老 Zhang Lao
Zhang Lao of Chang An learned Guangling Zhixi from the monk Si Gu. (Return)

6 (Return)

7 (Return)

8 (Return)

9 (Return)

10 (Return)

 

Return to QSCB, or to the Guqin ToC.