Yu Boya was a famous music master who played the qin. He had been learning from nature to create beautiful melodies(歌曲).
Once, Yu took a boat trip to the state(国) of Chu. Along the way, the river water rushed towards the east, leaving the high mountains behind. The beautiful scenery inspired Yu. He took out his qin and began to play. After a while, he noticed a woodsman(樵夫) standing on the riverbank, enjoying his music quietly.
Yu happily invited the man into the boat. The woodsman introduced himself, "My name is Zhong Ziqi." After that, Yu played the qin for Zhong. He played music that described the high mountains. Zhong said, "How wonderful it is! I seem to see the magnificent(壮丽的) Mount Tai." Yu played music that described the flowing water. Zhong said, "What a beautiful melody! I seem to see the rushing river."
Yu was surprised by the woodsman's words. "You really understand my music!" So the musician and the woodsman became good friends. They decided to meet each other again at the same place the following year.
When that time came, Yu arrived on time, but did not see Zhong. He visited the village where Zhong lived and heard that his friend had died of an illness. Yu felt very sad. He took out his qin and once again played the music of High Mountains and Flowing Water.
"My best friend has passed away," he said. "No one in the world understands my music anymore." He then broke his qin and never played it again.
