Chapter 4, Parts 7-21

Parts Seven to Twenty One: Miscellaneous articles
The original texts are all copied below; otherwise it is mostly summaries awaiting full translations

Part 7 ; QQJC I/84b
7. 三聲論 San Sheng Lun: Discussion of Three Sounds (QQJC I/84)
Summary: It asks, "Scattered sounds" (open strings), "floating sounds" (harmonics) or "wooden sounds" (stopped strings): which are better? It answers, These are sounds of heaven, sounds of earth and sounds of humanity: they should be in proper balance. Unfortunately in modern times people often ignore this and play in a flashy manner: instead they should return to proper use of the 三才 Three Talents, where Heaven, Earth and Humanity work in proper harmony.

琴有散聲、泛聲、木聲，三者孰優？夫泛聲應徽，不假抑按，自然之聲，是謂天聲。天聲清也。律應氣於地，絃象律管，入地之淺深而爲散聲之次第，是為地聲。地聲濁也，按聲抑揚於人，人聲清濁兼有者也。天道發生於地，人道長養於地，猶泛聲、按聲生於散聲也。地有载物之象，猶散三聲之能受按聲泛聲也。人聲按於絃上，猶人履地而動作於上也。天聲浮於絃上，猶天之尊高於上而變化於太虚之間也。天聲出於地聲之上，人聲出於地聲之下，是謂天、地、人，此言其分也。人聲雖在絃下，而指按絃上，是謂天、人、地，此言其勢也。夫琴受成中天而為地聲，上有天統焉，下有人聲承焉，而皆有徽節之應合，是各具一後也。至於運指之間，天聲、人聲變用無窮，隨意而生，悉歸於應合之地。此所以為後天之功用歟。近世曲操天聲徑潔平易，人心好奇，用之者少，人者有餘，天者不足。所謂道心惟微，人心惟危。故善琴君子每不取乎按聲之煩碎巧急淫豔，良有以也。苟能以三才之道求之，斯得古音之正統歟。

8. 琴本制起法象 The Origin and Symbolism of the Qin (QQJC I/84-5) Parts 8-9 ; QQJC I/85a
Summary: The legendary emperor Fuxi created the qin based on natural laws; then since Emperor Yao 80 varieties of qin have emerged. The dimensions follow the proper rules of cosmology and use natural materials.

昔者伏羲氏之王天下也，仰以觀象於天，俯以觀法於地，遠取諸物，近取諸身，始畫八卦，扣桐有音，削之爲琴。《爾雅》曰：『大琴曰離，世或傳此是伏羲所製也。』《世本》云：『琴長七尺二寸，並未詳也。自堯相傳，善斫琴者八十餘樣，雖有殊體，大約相似，長三尺六寸，法期數也。』上圓而斂象天也，下方而平法地也，十三徽配十二律也，餘象閏也。大絃五：宫、商、角、徵、羽，後加文、武二絃，至後漢蔡邕又加二絃象九星，在人法九竅，其樣異。傳於後代，其有四象，按首翅足尾。南方朱鳥爲嶽之至，五分其身，以三為上，以二為下，三天兩地之義也。上廣下卑，尊卑之象也。中翅八寸象八風也。（音釋：八風者，所謂條風、明庶風、清明風、景風、凉風、閻闔風、不周風、廣莫風是也。）腰廣四寸象四時也，軫圆象陽，轉而不窮也。臨嶽、承露用棗木，唇用梓木，大抵先賢之深意也。 9. 絲附木論 Discussing the Silk and Wood Relationship (QQJC I/85)
Summary: Silk alone cannot produce sound — it relies on wood to resonate. Wood supports and amplifies silk’s voice, just as fire depends on wood to burn. The profundity of the qin’s sound arises from this harmony, symbolizing the deep connection between material form and spiritual resonance.

天八音皆有聲，聖人用之以作樂，獨絲不能自為。而聲出於木，蓋蠶與馬同氣，馬火畜而絲火音矣。周人頒馬政而禁原蠶，物不兩大也。昔人謂蠶珥絲而商絃絕。蠶之珥絲，火獨盛物也。商絃之絕，火所勝也。是以知琴爲南方之器，而於卦屬離。遠取諸物，木伐為薪，火因而發。近取諸身，肝達爲目，視因而明，合物而顯。火數偶也，若薪因火所生也，火托物而不離其所生，則木雖無待於絲，而絲不能捨木而成聲矣。琴以絲鳴，絲以木鳴，若鬆（鬆，音松，輕也。）若實，若清而揚，若大而宏，以有盡之聲藏無盡之意，皆是木之所發，琴之材可不慎擇乎？五行在天地間，惟木與乎神。神也者托物為體，應物隨數，絲聲之麗於木而托所應之理見也。舉一器而具妙物之神，士君子馭之而不廢，然後邪心無自而入，此無他琴之為器，天下之至神存焉。

10. 琴材論 Discussion of Qin Materials (QQJC I/85) Parts 10-11 ; QQJC I/85b
Summary: The best wood for making qin is "桐 tong" because it has a 虚 hollow core and a 理疏 loose grain. However, not all tong wood is the same: there are 胡桐 hutong, 海桐 haitong and 青桐 qingtong as well as 梧桐 wutong. It then seems to suggest none of these by itself is perfect and other woods can also work if the 木液 sap has been dried out and other impurities removed.

樂由陽來，虚所生也。故莊子曰：「樂出虚，夫虚則通，實則凝，凝而不通，樂何由作？」惟桐之材，其心虚，而理疏。理疏則虚，不特其心而在體。舉則輕，擊則鬆，折則脆，撫則滑，輕鬆脆滑，謂之四善。四善之備，以虚而已。世所謂桐不一也，似桑而向拳，謂之胡桐；似梓而膚白，謂之海桐；似梧而無實，謂之青桐。梧與桐同類，其繁茂一也。本同而質异，世所謂梧爲桐，其材可以雕鏤，或其實可壓而取其脂，其華、其實、其幹、其膚，一有相類。因謂之桐，皆非桐之正也。古所謂桐，惟心虚理疏者是也。天下之材，柔良莫如桐，堅刚莫如梓，以桐之虚合梓之實，剛柔相配，天地之道，陰陽之義也。又吴僧智和南溟島上得木，名伽陀羅，紋如銀屑，其堅如石，斫而為之，且琴不必桐梓，惟木液（木液，木之漿液也。）既竭，濁性去盡，皆可選用。

11. 琴體說 Speaking of the Qin Structure (QQJC I/85-6)
Summary: Goes through the significance of the names of different parts of the qin and mentions symbolisms in its shape ending with the Heaven and Earth Pillars that support the qin on the inside. For more on this see the image and commentary here.

琴之首曰鳳額，下曰鳳舌，其次曰承露，乃臨嶽之前也，俗謂之嶽裙，軫穴謂之軫眼。鳳嗉，琴項也，謂之喉舌，可以教令也。人形者取其若肩背之正，龍腰者，取其曲折如龍也。又曰玉女腰，取其纖也。自肩至腰，總象鳳翅，聳然而張。龍唇、龍龈乃琴末承絃之异名。焦尾，人謂之冠，取其狀名也。冠内兩線自龍唇繞入謂之龍鬚。龍池者，龍為變化之物，潜於幽深之地，跡雖隱而聲之所自出也。鳳沼者，取鳳之來儀，沐浴自如也。軫池又曰軫杯。軫者，急也。古以竹為之，取鳳非梧桐不棲，非竹實不食之義也。軫池側有鴨掌，有護軫。足曰鳳足。當足處曰鳳腿。天地二柱一圓一方，爲琴之心膂也。

12. 論絃养七星 Discussing How the Strings Resemble the Seven Stars (QQJC I/86) Parts 11-14 ; QQJC I/86a
The same information is given here.

一絃屬土，主宫，為天爲君，其色黄，在天符土星，於人曰信，分旺四季。
二絃屬金，主商，為地為臣，其色白，在天符金星，於
人曰義，應秋之節。
三絃屬木，主角，為人為民，色青，在天符木星，於人曰仁，應春之節。
四絃屬火，主徵，為事，色赤，在天符火星，於人曰禮，應夏之節。
五絃屬水，主羽，為物，色黑，在天符水星，於人曰智，應冬之節。
六絃屬文聲，主少宫，在天符文星，於人曰文德，本乎柔以應剛。
七絃屬武聲，主少商，在天符武星，於人曰武功，本乎剛以應柔。

13. 取聲用掯蕙述琴人善惡 Producing Sound and Identifying the Virtues and Faults of Qin Players (QQJC I/86)
Summary: Nothing excessive, use fingernail and flesh properly, natural stance, be energetic but relaxed. Players have many different strengths and weaknesses. These can be summarized through mention of the seven major and five minor faults in qin playing.

凡彈琴調弄句度，節奏停歇，不得過多。取聲用指又須甲肉相兼用之，則其聲清麗美暢。左右手去絃不得絕高，亦不得按着絃。須生精神，形貌不用力，筋骨弩張精神。不得疾速亦不得徐緩，又不得筋骨散慢。肩甲手臂悉須調暢，用力勿令人覺。若能依此，雖學日淺，僅亦可比於能者矣。世有琴士或學近而能，或攻擊歲深而不精，亦在性格耳。或有得聲者不能知其律度，或諳其音韻者，不得知其清輕。或精妙能之，不遇知音具爲隱諱。或有不得旨趣自衒自矜，某每不憑此，便欲鑒别名書，慮君子愛憎有差，難形紙墨。今且直說彈琴之病，大者有七，小者有五，學琴人切思絕此十二病，則妙矣。

14. 五音審辦乃可議琴 The Five Tones Examined and Arranged so as to Explain Qin (QQJC I/86) Parts 14-15 ; QQJC I/86b
Translation:
Gong sound: Harmonious, deep, thick, and coarse; its tone majestic and grand, carrying a resonant openness.
Shang sound: Piercing yet clear, soaring then settling into balance, clearly articulated; its tone can sound like "qiang-qiang cang-cang".
Jue sound: Flowing and resonant, balanced and upright; its tone quavering, yet flowing and distinct."
Zhi sound: Undulating smoothly, rising from below then settling into balance; its tone lilting and expressive, resembling sighing sounds.
Yu sound: Penetrating and clear, fine and high-pitched; its tone ethereal and floating.

凡宫聲，和平沉厚粗大。其音雄洪。含通然。
凡商聲。動鎗以凝明，上達而下歸於中，開口吐音。其音鏘鏘倉倉然。
凡角聲。圓長通徹，中平而正。其音哽咽，娓娓確確然。（音釋：哽，音梗。咽，音謁。）
凡徵聲。抑揚流利，從(下)而上歸於中。其音倚倚然。（音釋：嚱，音希，歎息聲。）
凡羽聲。而透徹，細小而高。其音詡酗芋然。（音釋：詡，音許。酗，音虚。）

15. 彈琴有七要 Seven Essentials for Qin Play (QQJC I/86)
These seven as listed are: the player, instrument, technique, melody, presentating, sound quality and listening. A few words are said about each, then there is an essay elaborating on these essential elements in terms of the "Nine virtues" (see next). The essay begins:

Qin represents the music of antiquity, the source of the purest sound. Therefore, its learners and listeners both should aspire to extraordinary refinement in order truly to appreciate it. The qin has Nine Virtues: uniqueness, antiquity, resonance, smoothness, tranquility, balance, roundness, clarity, and fragrance. Fingering should be calm and measured....

The essay then goes on to align these virtues with the seven listed essentials.

一曰學琴者，欲得風顏滿酒，無壓氣，而與雅樂稱。
二曰蓄琴，欲其九德具備，無收庸材。（音釋）九德者奇古透潤静勻圓清芳是也。
三曰下指，沉静而不得暴燥。
四曰曲調，雅正，不挾淫哇。（哇音蛙）
五曰不為俗奏，以玷古人之高風。
六曰琴，無映奪欲得純正。
七曰聽，欲靜慮不逐聲色。

琴，太古樂也。正聲之所自出，故學者聽者皆欲風韻不凡，而有以稱之。琴有九德：奇、古、透、潤、静、匀、圓、清、芳。下指沉静而不暴躁，惟貴輕重得中，太重則失清韻之聲，太輕則無真全之韻。惟隨琴之强弱施指則取與吟臑，俱有味也。曲調雅正，合真情於恬淡之中，豈求美於俗耳而已。凡為俗奏者，以其不合古人之意，豈能凝神靜慮，傾耳以分恬淡之味哉？古人不遇知音不彈，寧對猿鶴風月而奏者，盖緣於此。聲無映對，奪諸俯仰，棲閣周回，板壁左右，軒楹切近，喧嘩風狂雨驟。几案太長，板面怯薄，甲長指暴，此皆奪正聲之賊。且在樓閣板壁間，則聲哄然而不得實，切近喧嘩則聲泯滅，在軒檻則聲散而不聚。風燥則聲焦，雨潤則聲濁，按長則池沼悶塞，聲不發越，几面薄則引起板聲，而聲亦哄哄然。爪長則聲枯，指暴則絃迫，而聲不真全。惟堂室静密，天朗氣清，周回實壁，俯臨實幾，擊打以指面而附聲於甲，則聲斯全真矣。聽欲静慮者，欲分古淡之味也，貴乎耳目專一，而不為一物所奪也。

16. 琴有九德 Qin has Nine Virtues (QQJC I/87) Parts 16-18 ; QQJC I/87a
These are as listed in the previous entry, but in slightly different order and with the following commentary added.

一曰「奇」，謂輕鬆脆滑者，乃可稱奇。蓋輕者，其材輕快；鬆者，聲音透徹，久年之材也；脆者，性緊而木聲清長，裂紋斷斷，老桐之材也；滑者，質澤聲潤，近水之材也。
二曰「古」，謂淳淡中有金石韻，蓋緣桐之所産，得地而然也。有淳淡聲而無金石韻，則近乎濁；有金石韻而無淳淡聲，則止乎清；二者備，乃謂之「古」。
三曰「透」，謂歲月綿遠，膠膝乾匱，發越響亮而不哽塞。（匱，乏也。咽，音謁。）
四曰「靜」，謂之無殺颯以亂正聲。（㪇，音先，上聲。）
五曰「潤」，謂發聲不躁，韻長不絕，清遠可愛。
六曰「圓」，謂聲韻渾然而不破散。
七曰「清」，謂發聲猶風中（之）鐸。
八曰「勻」，謂七絃俱清圓，而無三實四虛之病。
九曰「芳」，謂愈談而聲愈出，而無彈久聲乏之病。

Here is a translation:

奇 (qí) – Excellence: This virtue emphasizes that the guqin should possess qualities of lightness, resonance, clarity, and smoothness. "It is said that only those which are light, resonant, crisp, and smooth can be called exceptional." Specifically:
- Lightness (輕 qīng): The material of the guqin is lightweight.
- Resonance (鬆 sōng): When plucked, the sound is penetrating, indicative of aged wood.
- Clarity (脆 cuì): The texture is tight, producing clear and prolonged tones, often found in old paulownia wood.
- Smoothness (滑 huá): The texture is lustrous, and the sound is mellow, characteristic of wood grown near water.
古 (gǔ) – Antiquity: The sound should be pure and simple, yet resonate with metallic and stone-like timbres. This quality arises from the specific region where the paulownia wood is sourced. A sound that is pure but lacks metallic resonance may seem dull; conversely, a metallic sound without purity may be overly sharp. A balance of both is considered "antique."
透 (tòu) – Penetration: Over time, as the adhesive dries and ages, the guqin produces a bright and resonant sound without obstruction.
靜 (jìng) – Serenity: The sound should be free from harshness or abruptness that could disrupt the primary tones.
潤 (jùn) – Mellow: The tones produced are gentle, with prolonged resonance that is clear, distant, and pleasing.
圓 (yuán) – Roundness: The sound and resonance are harmonious and complete, without fragmentation.
清 (qīng) – Clarity: The emitted sound resembles a bell ringing in the wind, clear and melodious.
勻 (yún) – Evenness: All seven strings produce sounds that are uniformly clear and rounded, avoiding issues where some strings sound solid while others are hollow.
芳 (fāng) – Fragrance: The more the guqin is played, the more its sound emerges, without the problem of tones becoming dull over extended play.

A somewhat revised description of these nine, as included in Gao Lian's Eight Discourses on Living, is translated by Pei-You Chang on her website.

17. 琴有四虛 Qin (body can) have Four Weaknesses (QQJC I/87)

一曰兌虛，謂槽腹太寬也 Soundbox too wide
二曰散虛，謂膠縫脫落也 Seams too lose
三曰濁虛，謂材太慢也 Wood too hard/dense and thus slow to transmit south
四曰精虛，謂材太薄也 Wood too thin

18. 琴有所宜 Qin has those who are dignified (QQJC I/87) Parts 18-19 ; QQJC I/87b
Begins with a list of five types of gentlemen, followed by a brief characterization of each. This is followed by a long yinshi, plus five more lines each with a rule, then a closing statement

黃門士、隱士、孺士、羽士、德士。
此五者，雅稱聖人之樂，故宜於琴。黄門士，鼓大雅聖徳之頌。隱士操流水高山之調。儒士撫清和治世之音。羽士操御風飛仙之曲。徳士彈枯淡清虚之吟。

音釋：黄門士，縉紳之輩，若蔡邕、司馬相如之類；隱士，隱逸之士，若長沮、桀溺、朱張之流；儒士，文學之士，若陶淵明、嵇康、阮戚之；羽士，學道之人，若吕洞賓、白玉蟾之屬；德士，有德之士，若伯夷、叔齊、柳下惠是也。

騷人逐客，遊子怨女，皆寄情於琴，以伸快其意。古人皆尚之。
凡學琴必須要有文章，能吟詠者。 (whoever studies qin should be those with essays and the ability to "hum and chant")
貌必要清，要古怪，不麄俗者。
心必要有仁慈徳義能甘貧守志者。
言必要有誠信，無浮華薄飾者。

凡鼓琴必擇明堂室。竹間松下。他處則未宜。

19. 琴有所忌 Qin has things to shun (QQJC I/87-8)
Four characterizations of people who shouldn't play qin:

As for playing qin there are three kinds who do so in a common manner: those who in their hearts have no virtue, those who on their face have no moustache (i.e., females and young males), and those who in their bellies have no ink (i.e., they have no taste for literary pursuits).
People from military families are not suited for playing the qin. Military people belong to the world of armor and weapons, while sages regard military force as an instrument of calamity. Thus, the qin and warfare are incompatible. As the saying goes: "In the homes of military officers qin sounds are absent; (instead,) their gates adorned with halberds open to the beating of things metallic." Just so.
People in commerce are not able to play qin. The qin was created so sages could take pleasure in self-cultivation, nurturing one's character, embracing simplicity, knowing when to stop and avoiding excess. Commerce, however, is driven by profit, desire, stinginess and greed. People of the marketplace follow a path contrary to that of the sages. Therefore, they are not suited for the qin.
Professional entertainers should not dare to play qin (Comment: professional entertainers were musicians who had low status.) In ancient times there were 伶官 ling guan (people with official positions as court musicians) who played the qin; they were not prostitutes or performers, but officials responsible for sacred music in the Han and Tang courts, performing rituals for the worship of heaven and earth. (However,) in later generations, prostitutes and entertainers falsely called themselves "伶人 official musicians", which is truly laughable. One must strictly avoid playing the qin in the presence of such performers, lest the sacred sounds of the sages be defiled. How much more inappropriate it would be to let them hold the sages' qin! As for those not from the Middle Kingdom (and) who speak local dialects or foreign languages, because their own sounds are not correct, how can they align with the sages' correct sound? Thus, they are unfit to play the qin, it would be inappropriate. The qin is the music of the Central Kingdom's virtuous gentlemen and sages, meant for self-cultivation and inner refinement. It does not belong to the lands of barbarians. Therefore, a house of mourning is also not a place for the qin.
(Comment: 喪門 sangmen is the same as 桑門 sangmen, also called 沙門 shamen, which refers to what is now known as Buddhist monks.
Artisans performers are all considered as common folk. For a person of common material to play the qin, an instrument of the sages, is to disgrace and defile this sacred instrument — thus, it is to be avoided.
(Also), those who have body odor or bad breath should not play the qin, for this would be an act of disrespect and irreverence toward the instrument of the sages — therefore, it is also to be avoided.

The original text:

鼓琴有三俗：心中無德；口上無髯；腹內無墨。
武士之家不宜鼓琴。武士乃甲冑之門。聖人以兵爲凶器。故與琴不宜也。常言『將士之家無琴聲，畫戟門開金鼓鳴。』正謂此也。
商賣不可鼓琴。琴本聖人修身、養性、甘貧、知止、戒盈之樂。商賣乃利、欲、慳、貪。市井之人反是聖人之道。故不宜於琴。
優伶不敢鼓琴。（音釋：優伶，樂工，賤役之人。）且古之有伶官琴者，非娼優妓夫也，即漢唐典神樂之官，郊祀天地之樂也。後代娼優竊其名為伶人，誠可笑也。凡鼓琴切忌對娼優鼓者。恐為褻玷聖人之音也。又何况使其抱聖人之琴耶？非中土有鄉談番語者，以其自音之不正，安能合聖人之正音？故不宜也。琴本中國賢人君子，養性修身之樂，非蠻貊之邦而有也。故喪門不宜於琴。
音釋：喪門即桑門，又曰沙門，即今之和尚也。
百工伎藝之人。皆謂之俗夫。以俗夫之材而鼓聖人之琴。是玷辱聖人之器。故忌之。有腋氣口氣者。不宜鼓琴。是褻慢聖人之器故忌之。

20. 琴經須知 Qin Standards that must be known (QQJC I/88) Parts 19-21 ; QQJC I/88a
(Technical details of playing.)

下指不欲粗暴，粗暴則聲不真全，復不欲弱，弱則聲不渾實，惟貴沉實詳緩，發聲清圓也。吟臑抑按，欲存味而無迹。勾、打、挑、剔，欲有力而不滞；遲速起復，欲有節而不亂。單出為聲，雜比為音。（比，去聲，合也。）勾、打、挑、抹，聲於絃；吟、臑、抑、引，聲於木。材質美韻而指潤，絃聲發而木聲應也。琴有散聲者不得增其嶽，嶽太高。則取手艱辛而指不自在。絃外散者不得增龍齦，增則徽外難取聲，前容一指，後容一紙，此古今法。不可易也。

21. 琴不妄傳 Qin should not be improperly transmitted (QQJC I/88)
Includes two stories (or perhaps the second story is told by the first person). First there is mention of a teacher named Tongxu Huangfu who said that the qin should be taught only to the "right sort" of people, then a story about Bai Hezi, a qin player who refused to teach a Buddhist monk on the basis that Buddhism was a foreign system incompatible with teachings of the Chinese sages.

洞虚皇甫先生，世以琴道鳴，弟子甚衆，而喪門雜然。先生曰：『世之學琴也，必欲知其所忌而又知其所宜，豈可泛然而輕聖人之器乎？』昔有僧名覺道者，學琴於白鶴子之門，鶴子惡而不授，其僧不悦。鶴子曰：『噫！怪哉！』釋氏之學，出於西胡夷狄之教耳。琴乃中國聖人之道，非爾所宜也，且琴遇孝子或居喪則不彈，况僧者，夷狄之喪門也。則理有所忌，爾速往，勿污我也。』僧曰：『當唐之世，喪門亦有善琴者，至於懷義之徒，皆以琴道鳴於當時，何也？』鶴子曰：『只是自不知所忌。』又曰：『不識其所恥。且聖人之器，必當正衣冠，尊瞻視，然後鼓之。豈可髡首肉袒。左袵，而抱聖人之器乎？』

音釋：髡，音坤，髡首，削髮也。袒，音旦，肉袒，露肩也。左袵，衣襟偏左。三者皆夷狄之俗也。

Next is a story about Zhang Hengqu, a player who discarded his qin because it had been touched by a monk. It adds commentary from other anti-Buddhists.

昔張横渠過郢涉沔，

音釋：郢，音影，郡名。沔，音免，亦郡名。郢即今之安陸州，沔即今之沔陽州。

End of Part 21; QQJC I/88b

童子挾琴而隨，遇一僧以手捫其琴，横渠曰：『琴不祥矣。』遂棄於水。故琴者，天地之正音，聖人之靈器，喪門乃夷狄之學，悖聖人之道，反天地之常，滅性毀形之徒，曷足以事之？故程子所謂：『無父無君，惡乎？善乎？』

朱文公曰：『只是廢三綱五常一事，已是極大罪名了，其他更不消說。』

石守信《怪論》曰：『彼其滅君臣之道，絕父子之親，棄道德悖禮樂，裂五常移四民，毀中國之衣冠，絕祖宗之祭祀，髡髮左衽，誠天地間一大罪人耳。豈可使抱聖人之器哉？反不以為怪乎？

Finally this part discussed the four types of people who shouldn't play tine qin: monks, actors and entertainers, vulgar people and people without moral virtues.

故琴之不傳有四，喪門一也，俳優二也，俗夫三也，薄德匪仁者四也。且如古之所謂伶官琴者，因黄帝命伶倫製律以祀上帝，故古以太常為伶官，非俳優也。

嗚呼！琴之為道，大矣！為物，貴矣！凡為人師者，必擇慈祥温裕，天姿挺秀，文雅卓然者，方可以雅稱聖人之器而授之，不然，雖購千金之資，不可一顧也。

太古遺音卷四終 End of Taiyin Daquanji, Folio 4

Much of the information here is also elsewhere in early qin handbooks. My own translation and specific comments on this passage are not yet ready for presentation.

Go to the beginning of Folio 5 or to the Folio 5 ToC
Or return to the Folio 4 Table of Contents

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 太音大全集 Taiyin Daquanji Folio 4, Parts 7-21 (QQJC 30 Volume edition I/84-88; QF/77-85)
See the Comment on the different editions.

A large part of this page was adapted from this webpage on douban.com.
(Return)

2. Explanations by translator
See comments concerning the structure of the original text.
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