Lofty mountains and flowing water is a famous Guqin solo music in the ancient times, in the Spring and Autumn Period Warring States times(B.c. 770-221), there already has the story of Lofty mountains and flowing water, so someone considered that Lofty mountains and flowing water has been made by Yuboya. In the last 2000 years, 《Lofty mountains》, 《flowing water》 these two ancient Guqin songs and the story of Yuboya met bosom friend, has been spreading extensively in society. It was said that Yuboya was a famous heptachord executant in the Spring and Autumn Period Warring States times, he has superbly musical performance technique, 《Xunzi ·Advise to learn》 had recorded that the fish jumped out of water and the horse stopped eating to hear when Yuboya played the Guqin. The musical sound of Yuboya could mimical a lot of voices in the natures, and express various emotion. But few of people could understand his Guqin sound and comprehend his idea. So, he usually felt depression about no one could understand him ……Yuboya live in the Chu Country, but he was a goverment official in the Jin Country. One day, the king of the Jin sent him to go abroad as a ambassador to Chu, and he was happy to return to his hometown. In the night of Mid-Autumn when the ship went to the Hanyang estuary, the rains and winds came by chance so that the boats had to tie up under the mountain precipice. Soon, the rains and winds stopped, Yuboya wanted to play a music suddenly when he get out and saw the landscape in the bright moon. When he played the Guqin ecstatically, one of the Guqin strings breaked suddenly. He affirmed there was someone eavesdropping. (In China, people consider there is a bosom friend when some one’s string break suddenly while he is playing the Guqin.) He asked his servitor to go ashore to search. At that time, someone said on the ashore to him: Monsignor, please don’t doubt, my name is Zhongziqi and not crafty thief, but a woodcutter. I am going to home after cut wood, but encounter strong wind and rain, I hide under the rock side to shelter the rain while I you’re your elegancy song.
Yuboya invited Zhongziqi to get on the boat, then began to play the segment of 《LvShiChunQiu》called “Lofty mountains and flowing water.” Yuboya contemplates for a few time, his idea was about the high mountain, so he played a song about mountain. Zhongziqi understood its meaning and said that the song was very grandiose, the meaning of the song was concerning about the high mountain. Yuboya concentrated and played again, Zhongziqi said that the meaning of the song was concerning about flowing water. After that, no matter what song Yuboya played, Zhongziqi could understand its meaning immediately. So Yuboya was very excited and said to Zhongziqi that there’s no one except you could understand my intention, you’re my bosom friend!
Yuboya felt that although Zhongziqi was a woodcutter, his knowledge and music theory was very profound, and his sentiment was very lofty, so they became sworn brothers. Next day, they wept to leave each other at Hangjiang estuary. They made an appointment to meet here next year.
Zhongziqi used the money which been presented by Yuboya buy many books to read. However, because he cut the wood during the day and studied assiduously in the night, and it was very tired, he infected serious illness and died in few months. Before his death, he said that I was unable to live to welcome Yuboya, I will stay here to welcome him, I must abide my promise. According to Zhongziqi’s wish, his parents buried him near the shore.
Soon the promise day came, Yuboya take the boat coming. He saw a tombstone at the shore and found that it was written Grave of the Zhongziqi on the tombstone. He bursted into tears and said that, "The god should not extinguish my intimate friend! Cannot bury my intimate friend! What a pity! I have only one intimate friend for my lifetime but he died before me, it’s unfair!”
After that, he took out the precious Guqin, played again the music of Lofty mountains and flowing water to mourn over Zhongziqi’s death. The sound was very sad, incurred people to surround, they heard the sound and applaused loudly. Yuboya became much sadder, he said to the sky, "it is easy to seek a friend, but it is hard to seek the intimate friend ". Yuboya took out the knife and cut off the string, fell the Guqin on to the terra. From then on, he no longer performed Guqin for his lifetime. For this reason, “the intimate friend meets at Lofty mountains and flowing water” became a famous story, the literary reference called the bosom friend was come from this story.
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