“Qin” refers to a Chinese stringed instrument akin to zither. Qin , chess , calligraphy and painting have been the 
means for expression of sentiments by the scholars . Many renowned ancient Chinese scholars were good at playing Qin , including Confucius , Cai Yong and Ji Kang . Many Chinese know about the stories of Sima Ingra wooing by playing Qin , and Boya making friends with Zhong Ziqi through playing Qin . An understanding friend that refers originally to a friend who understands one’s musical art has become an idiom in the Chinese language . Playing Qin to appeal is not so dependent on the volume of the instrument and the skill of the player as on the particular timbre of it and the implications in the player’s mind at the time he plays . Such appeal has been he feature of the Chinese music culture .
There have been many commentaries on Qin . The generality and thoroughness of the commentaries contained in the book . “Commentaries on Qin from Xi Hills” have been highly valued . The writer of the book Xu Shangyin was a Qin expert . He rebelled against the Qing Dynasty and escaped after the defeat to settle in seclusion at the Vault Temple in Suzhou . On the basis of the principles of Qin playing of the Yushan School he deduced twenty four principles of the Qin art , categorized into three features : harmonious tunes , calm sounds and deep implications. These three features represent the refined quality of the Qin players and their pursuit of implications .
