The Guqin: The Instrument of the Sages古琴：圣人之器

The guqin， or qin， is a seven-stringed classical musical instrument that is a relative of the zither family and has a history in China of about 5，000 years.

“古琴”，又称“琴”，是中国一种七弦古典弹拨乐器，距今约有5000年历史。

Scholars and sages considered the qin as the singular instrument that captures the essence of traditional Chinese culture.

学者圣贤将其视为唯一能承载中国传统文化精髓的乐器。

The qin， along with calligraphy， chess， and painting， were considered the four must-have skills for literati， intellectuals， and cultured people in ancient China to cultivate their inner selves.

琴、棋、书、画在中国古代并称文人雅士修身养性的必备四艺。

The guqin is usually about four feet in length， with a head， neck， shoulders， and waist， and a tail that resembles that of a phoenix. The curved surface board represents Heaven， while the flat underside represents the Earth.

古琴通常长约四尺，有头、颈、肩、腰，尾部形似凤凰尾羽。琴面呈弧形，象征天，琴底为扁平，寓意地。

Traditionally， this instrument had five strings made of silk， which represented the five elements of metal， wood， water， fire， and earth. The extra two strings are a more modern addition and were added about 1，000 B.C. Also， the strings are now usually made of steel.

古琴最初只有五根丝制琴弦，分别代表金、木、水、火、土五行。公元前1000年左右，增补了两根琴弦，且现今琴弦多为钢丝。

The guqin is one of the most complicated instruments

古琴堪称最为复杂的乐器之一

With more than 1，000 different finger techniques， the guqin is one of the most complicated instruments in the world to learn and requires great dedication to master.

古琴弹奏指法多达1000多种，堪称世界最难掌握的乐器之一，需要潜心练习才能精通。

The hands are used in plucking， picking， sliding， pushing， and vibrating the strings to produce a variety of sounds， from flowing water to loud and bright tones.

通过拨弦、挑弦、滑弦、推弦、揉弦，指间便可发出流水淙淙、洪亮明快等万千音色。

Confucius （551—479 B.C.） was known to have played the qin， and legend suggests that Huangdi， the Yellow Emperor， was partly responsible for its invention.

孔子（公元前551—前479）据知曾弹奏古琴，黄帝相传对古琴发明有所贡献。

The Chinese word 知音， or zhiyin， originated from a story about the qin. It literally means knowing the music， yet， through this story， has come to mean soul mate.

汉语“知音”二字就源自古琴典故。其字面意思为“通晓音律”，不过由于这一典故，现已引申为“灵魂伴侣”之意。

In traditional Chinese culture， when people concentrated on playing elegant music， it was very similar to a state of meditation， and it could take them to different spiritual realms. It was a way of cultivation.

在中国传统文化中，弹奏古琴时的专注状态类似于冥想，能让人进入不同的精神境界。而这在当时就是一种修身养性的方式。

According to the Tang Wen1， during the Spring and Autumn period， Boya was a virtuoso in playing the qin. His good friend Zhong Ziqi could understand his music very well.

据《列子·汤问》记载，春秋时期的伯牙琴艺超绝，挚友钟子期深谙其琴韵。

By listening to it， Ziqi could tell what was on Boya’s mind or what Boya was expressing when he played.

子期聆听琴音，便能知晓伯牙心之所向，意之所达。

For example， when Boya was thinking of a high mountain while he played， Ziqi exclaimed： “Wonderful！ It’s as magnificent and dignified as Mount Tai！”

伯牙抚琴时心中想着高山，子期便赞叹道：“太妙了！这琴声巍峨庄严，就如同泰山一般！”

When Boya played with flowing water on his mind， Ziqi said： “Tremendous！ The melody is as vast and mighty as a great river rushing past.”

伯牙心中想着流水弹奏时，子期便称赞道：“好呀！这琴声浩浩荡荡，就仿若奔腾的大江大河！”

High Mountain and Flowing Water became the name of a classic guqin piece. As a four-character chengyu or idiom， it means elegant high art that not everyone can understand.

《高山流水》就此成为了一首经典古琴曲名。如今作为四字成语，其意味着非人人能懂的高雅艺术。

Through qin music， Ziqi could understand Boya and share the spiritual journey with him to different realms. Thus， they became kindred souls and zhiyin has since been widely used to refer to soulmates.

通过古琴音乐，子期得以理解伯牙，与其一同踏上通往不同境界的精神之旅。两人因此成为知己，而“知音”一词也自此被广泛用于指代灵魂伴侣。

In 1977， the piece Flowing Water， performed by the famous qin player Guan Pinghu， was included on a gold-plated LP recording that NASA sent into outer space on the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft.

1977年，美国航空航天局通过旅行者1号和旅行者2号宇宙飞船将一张镀金黑胶唱片送往外太空，那张唱片中就收录了著名古琴演奏家管平湖所演绎的《流水》一曲。

In 2003， guqin music was recognized by UNESCO as one of the “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. But its exact origin， though often debated by scholars， still remains a mystery.

2003年，联合国教科文组织将古琴音乐艺术列入“人类口述和非物质遗产代表作”名录。然而其确切起源虽经学者多次探讨，但仍是未解之谜。

That mystery is echoed in the poem Hut Among the Bamboo by Wang Wei：

这一谜团在王维的《竹里馆》一诗中也有所体现：

Sitting alone， in the hush of the bamboo;

独坐幽篁里，

I thrum my zither [qin]， and whistle lingering notes.

弹琴复长啸。

In the secrecy of the wood， no one can hear;

深林人不知，

only the clear moon comes to shine on me.

明月来相照。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者；单位：四川师范大学）

1 本文第11—14段讲述了“伯牙绝弦”的故事，《列子·汤问》中相关原文如下：伯牙善鼓琴，钟子期善听。伯牙鼓琴，志在登高山。钟子期曰：“善哉，峨峨兮若泰山！”志在流水，钟子期曰：“善哉，洋洋兮若江河！”伯牙所念，钟子期必得之。

《论语》英译选登

一日克己复礼，天下归仁焉。

Once everybody has become self-restrained and observed the rules of propriety again， benevolence will prevail in the whole kingdom.

非礼勿视，非礼勿听，非礼勿言，非礼勿动。

Do not look at what goes against the rules of propriety; do not listen to what goes against the rules of propriety; do not say what goes against the rules of propriety; do not do what goes against the rules of propriety.

己所不欲，勿施于人。

Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.

（《〈论语〉最新英文全译全注本》，吴国珍，福建教育出版社，2012）