By Jing Guan 本文作者：静观
A statue of Shi Kuang made by modern Chinese people.
现代中国人所造师旷塑像
师旷字子野。晋人也。生而失明。然博通前古。以道自将。谏静无隐。或云。尝为晋太宰。晋国以治。盖非止工师之流也。其于乐无所不通。休咎胜败。可以逆知。晋人闻有楚师。师旷曰。不害。吾骤歌北风。又歌南风。南风不竞。多死声。楚必无功。己而果然。至于鼓琴。感通神明。万世之下。言乐者。必称师旷。
Shi Kuang, styled Ziye, was a native of the state of Jin.
Born blind, yet he was profoundly learned and well-versed in ancient culture.
Centered on the Dao, he offered frank advice without concealing any criticisms.
It is said that he once served as the Grand Preceptor of the Jin state,
Contributing to the governance of Jin,
Shi Kuang was far from being merely a musician or a qin player.
He possessed an all-encompassing knowledge of music,
Predicting fortunes and misfortunes, victories and defeats.
When news reached the Jin people that the Chu state was raising an army, Shi Kuang remarked:
"No harm. I first played the tune of the northern wind, and then the tune of the southern wind.
The southern wind lacks a competitive spirit, producing mostly faint sounds,
Chu will labor in vain and achieve nothing." And indeed, it happened as he foresaw.
To the extent that he was spoken of as playing the qin in communion with divine beings,
For generations to come, when discussing music, Shi Kuang's name would invariably be mentioned.
A map during Spring and Autumn period （Click picture to source page）
春秋时期地图（点击图片至源网站）
始。卫灵公将之晋。合于濮水之上。夜半。闻鼓琴声。问左右。皆不闻。乃召师涓问其故。且曰。其状似鬼神。为我听而写之。师涓曰。诺。明日曰。臣得之矣。然未习也。请宿习之。因复宿。明日报。曰习矣。
In the beginning, Duke Ling of Wei was about to travel to the state of Jin. He lodged by the bank of the Pu River. In the middle of the night, he heard the sound of a qin being played. He asked those around him, and they all said they hadn't heard anything. So, he summoned Shi Juan and inquired about the reason. He also said, "The music sounded like the music of ghosts and deities. Please listen carefully and record it for me."
Shi Juan said, "Yes."
The next day, Shi Juan said, "I have recorded it, but I haven't practiced it yet. Please allow me to practice it tonight."
As a result, the group stayed for another night.
The following day, Shi Juan reported, "I have practiced it thoroughly."
Drawing of an ancient person and a crane by Master Wu Yin
无音老师作“古人与鹤”图
即去之晋。见平公。平公置酒于施惠之台。酒酣。灵公曰。今者来闻新声。请奏之。即令师涓援琴鼓之。未终。师旷抚而止之。曰。此亡国之声。不可听。平公曰。曷知之。师旷曰。师延所作也。商纣为靡靡之乐。武王伐纣。师延东走。自投濮水而死。故闻此声必于濮水之上。平公曰。愿遂闻之。师涓鼓而终之。平公曰。此何声也。师旷曰。此谓清商者。不如清徵。公使为清徵。一奏之。有玄鹤二八。集于廊门。再奏之。延颈而鸣。舒翼而舞。平公大喜。问曰。音无此最悲乎。师旷曰。不如清角。昔者黄帝以大合鬼神。今君德义薄。不足以听。听之将败。平公曰。愿遂闻之。师旷不得已。援琴而鼓之。一奏之。有白云从西北起。再奏之。风至而雨随之。飞廊瓦。左右皆奔走。平公恐惧。晋国大旱。赤地三年。
They set out for the state of Jin to meet Duke Ping of Jin.
Duke Ping arranged a feast on the Shihui Terrace.
As the wine flowed freely, Duke Ling of Wei said:
"During this visit, I've heard a new melody.
Please allow my musician to perform for you."
Immediately, he commanded Shi Juan to play the qin.
Before the piece was completed, Shi Kuang gently touched the strings of the qin and stopped, saying:
"This is the sound of a fallen state, it mustn't be heard."
Duke Ping of Jin asked, "Why do you say that?"
Shi Kuang replied, "This is a composition by Shi Yan.
King Zhou of Shang was fond of extravagant music, and King Wu campaigned against him.
Shi Yan fled to the east and died by throwing himself into the Pu River.
Therefore, wherever this melody is heard, it must be by the banks of the Pu River."
Duke Ping of Jin said, "I wish to hear the entire piece."
Shi Juan continued to play until the music came to an end.
Duke Ping asked, "What is this mode?"
Shi Kuang said, "This is called 'Qing Shang,' 'Qing Zhi' is better than this."
Duke Ping had Shi Kuang play "Qing Zhi."
At the start of the piece, sixteen black cranes gathered at the corridor gate;
As the music continued, the cranes stretched their necks and cried, spreading their wings and dancing.
Duke Ping was greatly pleased and asked, "Is there a sadder melody than this?"
Shi Kuang replied, "There's 'Qing Jiao.'
In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor used music to assemble ghosts and deities on a grand scale.
Now, your virtue is shallow and your righteousness thin, you can't listen to such music,
Listening to it would bring disaster."
Duke Ping said, "I hope to hear the complete melody."
Reluctantly, Shi Kuang played it.
As the piece began, white clouds surged up from the northwest;
As the music continued, the wind rose, followed by rain,
Roof tiles from the corridor flew in all directions, and ministers and attendants fled.
Duke Ping was terrified. State of Jin experienced a severe drought, with no growth for three years.
The painting of Listening to the Qin 《听琴图》
然则琴者。乐之一器耳。夫何致物而感祥也。曰。治平之世。民心熙悦。作乐足以格和气。暴乱之世。民心愁蹙。作乐可以速祸灾。可不诫哉。世衰乐废。在位者举不知乐。然去三代未远。工师之间。时有其人若师旷者。可不谓贤哉。及夫乱久而极。虽工师亦稍奔窜。是以挚干缭缺之俦。相继亡散。而孔子惜之也。
Yet the guqin, merely a musical instrument,
Why can it attract external forces and perceive fortunes and misfortunes? The answer is:
"In times of political harmony, when the hearts of the people are joyful and content,
Music can guide auspicious and harmonious qi;
In times of turmoil, when the hearts of the people are anxious and distressed,
Music can accelerate the arrival of disasters,
This serves as a warning!
When the world is in decline and rituals and music are neglected,
Those in power are ignorant of the efficacy of rituals and music.
Yet, the era of Yao, Shun, and Yu is not far in the past,
Among the musicians and qin players, there were sages from time to time,
Like Shi Kuang, for instance, isn't he a sage?
As time passes and turmoil intensifies,
Even musicians and qin players will flee one after another,
Thus, those of Zhì, Gān, Liáo, and Quē clans
Perished and scattered in succession,
It's no wonder Confucius felt such deep regret!"
Excerpt from 'History of the Qin'
选自《琴史》
Authur: Zhu Changwen （Song Dynasty A.D. 1084）
作者：朱长文（宋）
Translated by Chat GPT-3.5
翻译：Chat GPT 3.5
Editing & Proofreading: Jing Guan
编辑&校对：静观
Original text copied from
原文复制于:
Editing and proofreading comparing text
编辑及校对参照文本：
1. Qin (Qing Jing Daoist Guqin internal publications)
《琴》（清静门道家古琴内部读物）
2. 读《琴史》// 师旷 https://www.jianshu.com/p/9367e0c8a7e1
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