ChineseStudy

6. Tune: Bodhisattva Barbarian (Zhang Xian)

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English translation

A mournful zither begins the “Xiang River” melody, each note seeming to paint the river’s green waves. Slender fingers move across thirteen strings, carefully conveying a sorrow kept deep within.

At the banquet, the performer’s clear eyes move slowly. The jade bridges across the zither slant like a line of flying geese. When the melody reaches its most heartbreaking passage, she lowers her brows, shaped like distant spring hills.

词句注释 · Notes

上片 · First stanza

上片把听觉与视觉相通：“声声写尽”将乐音比作描画湘波。演奏者不直接倾诉，而是借曲调和指法传出“幽恨”，使情绪含蓄地藏在音乐里。

The opening stanza blends hearing and sight: every note seems to depict the Xiang River. Rather than speak directly, the performer lets melody and touch carry a hidden sorrow, keeping the feeling within the music.

下片 · Second stanza

“秋水”常用来形容清澈的眼睛，“玉柱斜飞雁”写筝柱排列的形状。结尾从乐曲转到人的神态：眉低既像演奏中的专注，也与曲中哀情相应。

“Autumn waters” is a conventional image for clear eyes, while the jade bridges are likened to flying geese. The ending shifts from music to expression: lowered brows may show concentration as well as echo the melody’s sadness.

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