One Who Understanding the Music

Bo Ya was an excellent zither player, and Zhong Ziqi loved nothing more that to listen to him play. When Bo Ya played a majestic song, Zhong Ziqi saw it as it was. “Wow, it’s as majestic as Mount Tai!” said Zhong Ziqi. And when Bo Ya played a relaxed, flowing tune……“Wow, it’s long and leisurely like the Yangtze and Yellow rivers.” said Zhong Ziqi. Then one day, Zhong Ziqi became ill and died. After this, Bo Ya never played the zither again. In fact, he went home and took a knife to its strings. Henceforward, “broken strings” came to signify the death of one’s closest friend.

A person who understands one’s music is difficult to find. When the person who understood his music died, although Bo Ya was still very much alive, only half of him remained. （From Zen Stories：The Staff and Shout of the Venerable Ones）