Zhu Xi (1130 - 1200), also known as Zhuzi,² was a major Song dynasty philosopher and commentator, but at the time his ideas led to his being dismissed several times from official positions. He was born in what is today Youxi County in Fujian province,³ where his father was serving as an official, but his home town is considered to be Wu Yuan, now in the northeast corner of Jiangxi province, but then part of Huizhou, a district just south of Huangshan.⁴ He spent many years teaching in the Wuyi Mountains on the modern Fujian/Jiangxi province border,⁵ and is also particularly associated with two Confucian academies, the Yuelu Academy in Changsha⁶ and one at his retreat by the White Deer Grotto in Lushan, northwest of Poyang Lake.⁷

Zhu Xi's commentary on the Da Xue is included with the qin melodies Mingde Yin and Kongsheng Jing.⁸

Tong Kin-woon's Qin Fu, pp.1690-1, has selections from 晦庵先生朱文公文集 Mr. Hui'an Zhu Wen'gong's Literary Collection. It includes his Qin Lü Shuo (Speaking of Qin Music Standards), which is Qinshu Cunmu #108.

One of Zhu Xi's nicknames was Ziyang, and there is a Ziyang Qinshu perhaps by him. In its preface to Shishang Liuquan, Shuangqin Shuwu Qinqu Jicheng (1884) connects him to the melody Bijian Liuquan (see also the Zha Guide).

Zhu Xi wrote some poems that mention qin. See Qinshu Daquan:

Zhu Xi's father 朱松 Zhu Song,⁹ 1097 - 1143, was a scholar and high official who opposed peace with the Jin, and so retired.

The biography in Qinshi Bu begins,

Incomplete. ¹⁰

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1 Giles; ICTCL has many references but no separate entry (Return)

2 朱子 Zhuzi, or even 朱夫子 Zhu Fuzi, as with Confucius. In fact Zhu Xi used many style names: 元晦 Yuanhui, 仲晦 Zhonghui; and nicknames: 晦庵 Hui'an, 沈郎 Shenlang, 季延 Jiyan, 晦翁 Huiweng, 遯翁 Dunweng, and 雲谷老人 Yun'gu Laoren. He was made a 公 duke and canonized 文 Wen, making another name Wen'gong (Return)

3 尤溪 Youxi, in central Fujian province. (Return)

4 婺源、徽州 Wu Yuan (Return)

5 Wuyi Shan 武夷山 has a number of buildings commemorating Zhu Xi, including his grave and a memorial hall (Return)

6 岳麓書院, named after Yuelu Shan, a range of hills across the Xiang River from central Changsha. The current building marking the old academy is of much more recent construction (Return)

7 白鹿洞 There is apparently a plaque on 五老山 Wulao Shan (Five Elders Peak) commemorating the spot. (Return)

8 There is no suggestion that he had any connection with the music. (Return)

9 朱松 Zhu Song
Zhu Song (Giles, Bio/542), style name 喬年 Qiaonian, nickname 韋齋先生 Mr. Weizhai, wrote several poems connected to the qin. See

10 The entry, 34 lines long, gives 宋史 the official Song history as its reference. (Return)

Return to QSCB, or to the Guqin ToC.