Kindred Spirits 知音: "The One Who Truly Understands Your Songs"

For #AroWeek, I want to talk about the Chinese term 知音 (pronounced zhīyīn in Mandarin), which has influenced my thinking about queerplatonic relationships. zhī 知: to know, knowing yīn 音: music, sound literally, a zhīyīn is someone who "truly understands your songs"

the term zhīyīn comes from a story about finding a kindred spirit through music.

There are many versions of the story. Here's one version:

One day, the musician Yu Boya was playing a qin (see image) in the wilderness, when he met Zhong Ziqi.

When Boya played one song, Ziqi immediately understood it and described it as reflecting the mood of soaring mountains (高山). When Boya played another song, Ziqi also comprehended immediately and described it as creating the mood of flowing waters (流水). Ziqi could understand all of Boya's songs. When Ziqi passed away, Boya felt so distressed that he destroyed his qin and never played it again. Boya thought of Ziqi as a "zhīyīn," and that term continues to be widely used to this day.

In a modern context, the term of "zhīyīn" is often translated into English as a soulmate, a kindred spirit, or a very close friend, but at its core, it's a term that refers to a type of intensely emotional, spiritual, and platonic connection with someone.

The original songs played by Boya have been long lost to the passage of time, but musicians and composers have tried to imagine what the songs might have sounded like.

There's even a recording of "Flowing Waters" (流水) included on the Voyager Golden Record, symbolically helping humankind search for a zhīyīn as it drifts around in outer space.

For me, as an aspec (demiromantic, biromantic, and asexual) Sino diaspora femme, the idea of zhīyīn offers me a way to think about the concept of queerplatonic relationships, given that it's very similar to the idea of a soulmate but without the necessary romantic connotations of the word in English. The concept of zhīyīn is explored again and again in various Sinophone literature and popular media, from wuxia and xianxia c-dramas to poetry that alludes explicitly or indirectly to zhīyīn.

Folks who follow my work as a translator might know that I have been translating poems by Qiu Jin (1875-1907), one of China's most renowned feminist poets. She frequently wrote about her longing for a zhīyīn. Some of my translations: https://chinachannel.lareviewofbooks.org/2021/02/12/qiu-jin/

The concept of zhiyin also features prominently in my upcoming book of poetry translations, The Lantern and the Night Moths. I originally wrote this thread for Twitter but wanted to bring it here for #AroWeek. Alloromantic folks, please take a moment to learn more about #AroWeek and support arospec creators. If you are arospec and found me via this tweet, please feel free to say hi!

Husbands in Gucci fur coat.

I’m thinking of “The Divine Damsel of Devastation” and translation again, and I know I tried to translate half of Yun Jin’s newly appended line some time ago

But see… This song’s lyrics uses some idioms and concepts in traditional Chinese culture that the audience is expected to know, so when a term like 知音 (zhi1yin1) is used, it’s not explained what it means (here’s a more faithful translation on Reddit with some notes in the same thread)

Of course to an English speaker they might need to know the term literally means something like (one who) know the sound but it’s used to mean someone who knows your inner thoughts well. It’s an idiom from a story 伯牙善鼓琴 (“Bo Ya’s Adept at Playing the Qin”) where a qin (Chinese string instrument typically laid across the lap) player—伯牙 (Bo Ya)—falls in love with a woodcutter—钟子期 (Zhong Ziqi)—who can guess what he’s thinking (e.g. mountains, or rivers) from the way he plays the qin (but then Zhong Ziqi dies so Bo Ya breaks his instrument in grief). (Doesn’t Madame Ping and Cloud Retainer’s past relationship reference this story too? I dunno the details)

Soulmate has gained a romantic connotation, confidant is more so personal secret-keeper. I guess if I were to say it, the closest would be heart’s accompaniment (heart points to the psychological/emotional nature, accompaniment retains the supporting music imagery

Which is why I think my previous idea of retaining both the surface meaning and inner meaning of an idiom makes a very awkward translation, but, well, it truly is a shame that nuances are lost

ART BY @blutulip AAAAA I LOVE IT MISS XINGSHEN WINNING EVERY WHICH WAY “You idle moments seem to invite interruption the least” AKA Macaque got up to shenanigans and now she’s like >:T I love the DRESS IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL y’all throw all the love at this artist they are SO TALENTED LOOK AT THE RAINBOOWWWWW

au where after wei wuxian dies, lan wangji's zhiyin is dead, and that there is nobody left that will understand his playing, so he smashes his qin and never plays again, referencing the story of boya and zhong ziqi

boya was a musician who played the qin. zhong ziqi was his zhiyin, his audience, the person who could understand whatever he wished to express through music. after zhong ziqi's death, boya smashes his beloved instrument and swore to never touch one again, as no one will understand his playing as his zhiyin did ever again.

now imagine if lan wangji did that. angst level 100.

The Monkey King: True and False Monkey King (2024) 齐天大圣之真假美猴王

Screenwriter: Gu Zhiyin Starring: Liu Xiaolingtong / Ma Dehua Genre: Animation / Fantasy Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2024 (Mainland China) Also known as: Monkey King: The True and False Sun Wukong Type: Retelling

Summary:

The Great Sage protects Monk Tang so he can study in the West. After many hardships, this time he encounters a Sun Wukong who is exactly like himself. What is even more incredible is that this monkey demon has great supernatural powers and aims to replace Sun Wukong. The real and fake Monkey King fought so hard that no one could tell the difference. Who is this fake Wukong? He doesn't want to eat Tang Monk, but wants to learn the scriptures? Sun Wukong and Little White Dragon investigate to find out the truth together. There are many doubts about whether it is the evil side that Wukong himself has transformed into or is Wukong's schizophrenia... Sun Wukong encounters unprecedented crises and huge challenges.

When all doubts are solved, but can Wukong face the truth of the matter and himself. Who I am? Am I me?

To Wukong's surprise, the monkey monster that challenged him was not an ordinary monster, but the Six-Eared Macaque, a little brother who shared hardships in Flower Fruit Mountain. Their brotherly love was deep and the little Six-Eared Macaque worshiped Wukong and helped Wukong's situation and Flower Fruit Mountain. Indignant about Wukong’s situation and Flower Fruit Mountain that in his process of extremely worshiping and imitating Wukong, he fell deeper and deeper insane. In the end, he became possessed and lost himself. Trying to replace the powerless Wukong in front of him, and vowed to become a Buddha by himself. Faced with the life-and-death choice between brotherly love and the righteousness of seeking scriptures, where will he go...

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/26873015/

Link Trailor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o24Q_WyRuqs

Calling cdramas based on danmei novels bromance is not really "stupid" or "homophobic" as much as it is intentionally racist, I think. Dramas like Word of Honor, Winter Begonia and the Untamed are overtly homosexual media in more than just subtext - the only thing the couples do not do is kiss and fuck but there is a wealth of both universal (tender moments, embracing, hand holding, living together, raising children, sexual innuendos) and culture specific (comparisons to historical couples, calling each other Zhiji/Zhiyin, cut sleeves) scenes - these are homosexual relationships realized in a way that can pass censorship. If you watch het cdramas and observe the way Chinese media frames couples youll see that its almost the exact same between het couples and gay couples sans kissing... but white western fans cant handle any affection that isnt made easily digestible to a viewer raised on steven universe and she-ra. You wouldnt know subtext if it smacked you in the face. Every time.a new danmei drama airs the tags are flooded with posts of 'THUS IS BAIT' or 'XD HELLO HOW DONT THEY SEE HOW GAY THIS IS' THEY DO..THEY DO.. CHINESE DIRECTORS, WRITERS AND ACTORS ARENT CLUELESS BABIES they are consciously adapting a homosexual novel into a homosexual drama the actors auditioned knowing theyll portray gay men. Infantilizing the cast and crew just speaks on you seeing Chinese people as an Other incapable of being up to level with your queer brain... youre not insane, youre just bigoted. Chinas censorship of gay relations on screen does not mean Chinese people dont know what gay sex is and that they are implying it 🙃 and danmei dramas arent bait in the sense certain JPN anime and gacha games are either because they are ADAPTING CHARACTERS WHO ARE GAY MEN, USUALLY MARRIED GAY MEN SO. they presume that youve read the material and are capable of filling in the gaps. So many of you are just ignorant

Something you should know about me is that I’m a DEEPLY sappy romantic and I find this exchange from the intro to Winter Begonia so beautiful that I want to cry:

Shang Xirui: Do you know what a zhiyin is?

Cheng Fengtai: I do know. I’ve been listening.

Ok so what gets me here is that the word “zhiyin” can mean soulmate or confidant, but specifically it means “the one who understands my music” (like Yu Boya etc.) And since Xirui is an opera singer, he’s basically asking if Cheng Fengtai is the only one who understands him, and CFT says “of course, I’ve been listening.”

Is there anything more romantic than someone who understands you? Is there anything more romantic than someone who understands you because they’ve been paying attention to who you really are and what you find meaningful?

Ahhh. I love Chinese romances. So slow burn but so effective. Also Shang Xirui is definitely more beautiful as a woman than I am, and I’m cool with that.

A while ago i sent an ask about how lwj always seems two seconds away from falling to his knees to cling to wwx’s skirts and cry, and you asked which piece of your writing is where he actually fights the impulse, and i finally found it!

“He looks up at Wei Ying, overwhelmed, and nearly succumbs to a the impulse to cling to his zhiyin and cry.” - you can have the best of me, baby by stiltonbasket

Hes the biggest simp in all the land, as wei wuxian deserves 😂

Oh my goodness, you actually found it! He's about to do the same thing in TTTEG, too.

Hey hope you’re having a great day

I wanted to ask if the “ if I’m doomed to death at least I can be killed by you ” and “I thought of you as my zhiji” in cql happened in the book. I have been told it’s in the book and sense I have only read fan translation online and didn’t see either of those things being said by wwx I’m starting to think it’s missing some chapters or I’m being lied to 😭

No, this isn't in the book, simply because the point of the CQL scene, wasn't to be romantic, that is the most western view of the whole "zhiji" concept you can make it.

知音 zhiyin, is what people confuse 知己 zhiji for.

I'll be on a tangent about this because this is a personal annoyance for me and it has to do with the breakdowns of the original characters and these do not mean the same thing despite sharing a character.

Of course the 知 means "to know to be aware of something", but, the divergence here is with 己 and 音. The former means yourself, while the later means music. So, 知音 is far more romantically inclined in meaning than the other from just the character designation. Meaning, "you are my music, the same length as me, we are the same". Notably, the original point of Zhiyin was from the folk story of Boya (a qin player) and Ziqi (a woodcutter). Despite Ziqi's humble background, upon hearing Boya play his qin he was surprisingly able to tell which subjects each of the pieces represented. The woodcutter was able to understand the meaning of his music without explanation.

The entirety of this sentence is badly mistranslated in all lines of this in English, instead of Wei Wuxian saying "I thought of you as my soul mate" it really should be "I thought once you knew me so well, as a friend (no homo)". A lot less moving though, right?

This is not in the book because when they were young, they didn't think they were close enough for this! This is not a thing said in book since they they were not close despite both yearning for that. It would be weird for two people who thought they were so out of sync, to consider the other as their soulmate or call each other that so loudly to the other, because besties use zhiji to each other on an every day basis. Zhiyin is a bigger deal as that's meant to reflect a more romantic view of a relationship you can't explain in just words alone, it's just a feeling of right.

Am I the only one who thinks that Xiao Bao probably shaped his style according to Li Xiangyi's one?

I mean, look at him. Same ponytail hair style. He wants to be like his idol.

We know that in the drama Fang Duobing admires Li Xiangyi and he has always considered him as his master, his role model. One of the things I love is that when he discovers the truth about Li Lianhua, he does not stop admiring him. Of course, he gets mad at him, he is young and emotional but then he understands him and his reasons, proving to be mature enough.

Xiao Bao is one of the few people who accept Li Xiangyi as he is, even if he has changed and does not want anything but to be his friend and help him.

uǝɯɐ ʎpoolq

In Chinese, a soul mate is described as zhiyin – someone who ‘understands your music’. -Ma Jian

𝗣𝗨𝗥𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝝠 𝗠𝗬𝗧𝗛 / 𝗜𝗧’𝗦 𝝠 𝗧𝗥𝝠𝗣 / 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝝠𝗞 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 / 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝝝𝗡 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 / 𝗖𝗛𝝝𝝝𝗦𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗬 / 𝗪𝗘𝗜𝗥𝗗 𝗜𝗦 𝝠 𝗖𝝝𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 / 𝗡𝝝𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝝝 𝗠𝗬𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 / 𝗬𝝝𝗨 𝝠𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝝝𝝠𝗗 /𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦𝝠𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗕𝗜𝗚𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 / 𝗠𝗬 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗗𝝝 / 𝗟𝝝𝗩𝗘 & 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗟𝝝𝗩𝗘 / 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 & 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 / 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗜𝗧 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘 / 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗜𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝝠𝗟 / 𝗩𝗘𝗧𝝝 / 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗧 / 𝗠𝝝𝝝𝗗 𝗕𝝝𝝠𝗥𝗗 /𝗣𝗨𝗡𝗞𝗦𝝠𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗗𝗘𝝠𝗗 ​/ 𝗡𝝝 𝗚𝝝𝗗𝗦 𝗡𝝝 𝗠𝝠𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 / 𝗣𝗥𝝝 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗠𝗙𝗭 / 𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗚𝗬𝗦𝗨𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗥𝗭 𝗡𝝝𝗧 𝗪𝗘𝗟(𝗟) 𝗖𝗨𝗠 / 𝗧𝝝 𝝠𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝝠 𝗟𝗨𝗩𝝠𝗭

#justanfriendlyreminder 💡

#thelittlethingsarethebigthings 🔎

#autosuggestion #pointofview #codingyourself #programyourself #endlessness #creatingyourself #neverstoplearning

#fantasy #empathy #equality #respect #love #basics

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#quotes #quotesdaily #quotestoliveby #quotestagram #quotesaboutlife #quotesoftheday #quotestags #quotesgram #motivationalquotes #quotesandsayings #quoteslover thx my luv @frenchpsychiatrymuderedmycnut 4 inspiration 😘 #quotesofinstagram #quotesforlife #quotestoinspire #quotestoremember #quotestag #quotesilove #inspirationalquotes #lovequotes #quotesaboutlifequotesandsayings #successquotes #dailyquotes #lifequotes #quotesforyou @len0r #positivequotes #quotes4you #quotesaboutlove #instaquotes #quoteslife #quoteslove #qotd

Soundtrack: Me Roar - Format:B Remix by Super Flu, Monkey Safari 🦁

(Wrote this some months ago)

I’ve always known that The Untamed is not a direct translation of 陈情令’s title… BUT IT SUDDENLY DAWNED ON ME THREE (?) YEARS LATER THAT THE DRAMA’S OPENING THEME SONG IS 无羁 (Wu2 Ji1)

羁 refers to a horse’s bridle.

Meaning The Untamed is actually a translation of the main theme’s title 无羁 instead of the drama’s.

By the way, it’s also the same Wu (无) in Wei Wuxian (魏无羡)’s name. And while it doesn’t use the same hanzi character and meaning as Lan Wangji (蓝忘机)’s Ji (机), it’s the same pronunciation.

Meanwhile, the drama’s title 陈情令 (Chen2qing2 Ling4)…

陈情 means… “give a full account (of something)”, in this case likely a confession of one’s feelings/actions (be it hostile or romantic or platonic or something else). It’s also the name of Wei Wuxian’s dizi/flute.)

令 in this context is likely 小令 (xiao3ling4) as in “short tonal poem” (a form of Chinese poetry) or one could simplify it to “verse”. (Fitting since Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian both play instruments which likes alludes to 高山流水, a story of a qin player and a listener who can see in his mind the qin music’s intended imagery. The term 知音 / zhiyin can mean “heart’s accompaniment”, literally being “understand the sound”. By the way, the imagery of an unseen Instrumentalist in the distance is very common in traditional Chinese poetry so the instrument-playing Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian’s make quite the poetic imagery.) Alternatively 令 could also mean ”order”/”decree”.

In English prose—

From a romantic angle, 陈情令… can mean “Confession Verse”, “Short Confession Poem”, etc. Or, from a non-romantic angle, “Monologue” seems to work too (even if it’s a more loose translation)

(WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE UNTAMED’S VERY LITERARY CHINESE TITLE CAN BE INTERPRETED AS “LOVE LETTER”)

But if 令 is taken to mean “order” or “decree” along with 陈情’s ambiguous meaning, then 陈情令 could also be roughly interpreted as ”Guilty Confession Order”.

Bringing in 令’s “verse” imagery together with the “order” imagery, and the various meanings of 陈情…

陈情令 as “Open Letter Order” in prose?

“你们这些凡人永远理解 人世间的情感， 要么就是友情、要么就是爱情，要么就...... 我告诉你 有一种情感 超越所有的一切，叫 理解、 叫 知音、叫 俞伯牙和钟子期、高山流水，懂吗？”

You mortals always understand the feelings of this world as either platonic or romantic. Let me tell you, there is a sort of feeling that surpasses everything, called understanding. Called zhiyin. Called Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi, High Mountains and Flowing Water, understand?

《明星大侦探4》第3期：神秘来电 | Who's the Murderer Season 4, Episode 3: The Mysterious Call

if you don't know the story of 知音, you should look it up 🥹

oh i totally forgot last night but i wanted to make a post on best/wackiest ways to get across the idea of zhiyin/zhiji 知音/知己 in english

kindred spirit/soul

bosom friend

confidante

soulmate

companion

of like minds

on the same wavelength

zhiji. zhiyin.

moments since then--

i wanted / the past to go away /

i've been looking for places where silence means peace

i wanted to leave it, like another country;

and not loneliness, because i've spent enough time

i wanted / my life to close, and open / like a hinge, like a wing, like the part of the song / where it falls /

tell me about despair, yours,

down over the rocks: an explosion, a discovery; /

and i will tell you mine. / meanwhile the world goes on. / meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, /

i wanted /

over the prairies and the deep trees, / the mountains and rivers. / meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.

to hurry into the work of my life; i wanted to know, whoever i was, i was /

tell me about despair, yours, and i will tell you mine. / meanwhile the world goes on.

alive /

i've been looking for places where silence means peace and not loneliness

for a little while.

"Moments since then" (from 'Places I’ve Taken My Body: Essays' by Molly McCully Brown, source); "I wanted the past to go away" (from 'Dogfish' by Mary Oliver, source); "Tell me about despair, yours, and i will tell you mine" (from 'Wild Geese' by Mary Oliver, source)

TYK excerpts under the cut:

"Close friends that can completely understand each other" ('Story about Zhiyin', from the wikipedia article of Bo Ya, source); "I thought you said you intended to live and die with me, Part 1/2" (TYK, Ch.46, tl. wenbuxing); "Luckily, I haven't fallen deeply in love with you yet." (TYK, Ch.29, tl. lianzi); "Does it hurt?" (TYK, Ch.45, tl. wenbuxing); "I thought you said you intended to live and die with me, Part 2/2" (TYK, Ch.46, tl. wenbuxing); "To feel a closeness to a friend or a loved one despite being seperated by a great distance" (from the idiom definition of "海內存知己，天涯若比鄰", wiktionary article, source)