''Tale of the Pipa'' ( "Tale of the

Pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rangi ...

" or "The Story of the

Lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

") is a Chinese '' nanxi'' play written by the playwright

Gao Ming Gao Ming (; 13051370), also known as Kao Ming, Gao Zecheng, and the Cabbage Root Taoist, was a Chinese poet and playwright during the Yuan Dynasty. Gao was born and grew up in Wenzhou. In 1345, needing to find a way to support his widowed mothe ...

during the late

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

. There are French, German, English translations of the play, and an English novelization-translation. It was the most popular drama during the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

,Tanaka, p
153
and it became a model for Ming drama as it was the favorite opera of the first Ming emperor

Zhu Yuanzhang The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328– 24 June 1398), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Ming, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, courtesy name Guorui, was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1368 to 1398. In ...

Plot

The play is set during the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. Based on an older play, ''Zhao zhen nü'' (''The Chaste Maiden Zhao''), it tells the story of a loyal wife named Zhao Wuniang (T: 趙五孃, S: 赵五娘, P: Zhào Wǔniáng, W: ''Chao Wu-niang'') who, left destitute when her husband

Cai Yong Cai Yong (132/133 – ), courtesy name Bojie, was a Chinese astronomer, calligrapher, historian, mathematician, musician, politician, and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty. He was well-versed in calligraphy, music, mathematics and astronomy. On ...

is forced to marry another woman, undertakes a 12-year search for him. During her journey, she plays the

pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rangi ...

of the play's title in order to make a living. The original story sees Zhao killed by a horse and Cai struck by lightning, however in Gao Ming's version the two are eventually reconciled and live out their lives happily. Gao reportedly composed ''The Lute'' over a three-year period of solitary confinement, locking himself in an attic room and wearing down the floorboards by tapping out the rhythms of his songs. ''The Lute'' won considerable critical acclaim amongst Gao's contemporaries, since it raised the popular but somewhat rustic form of Southern folk opera ( Nanxi) to a higher literary standard, and it became a model for Ming dynasty theatre. It was a favourite play of the first Ming Emperor

, who commanded that it be performed every day at court.

Translations

Antoine (A. P. L.) Bazin wrote a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

translation in 1841.Birch, p
xvii
This version, titled ''Le Pi-pa-ki ou l'Histoire de Luth'', was published in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1841 by the

Imprimerie Royale IN Groupe () is a French company specialized in the production of secure documents such as identity cards and passports, which it designs and sells to various governments and companies. It is the continuation of the Imprimerie Nationale () of ...

. A group of Chinese students in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

performed an English-language version of the play in 1925, translated by Y.H. Ku and

Liang Shih-chiu Liang Shih-chiu (January 6, 1903 – November 3, 1987), also romanized as Liang Shiqiu, and also known as Liang Chih-hwa (), was a renowned Chinese educator, writer, translator, literary theorist and lexicographer. Biography Liang was born in ...

, and acted by Liang and

Bing Xin Xie Wanying (; October 5, 1900 – February 28, 1999), better known by her pen name Bing Xin () or Xie Bingxin, was one of the most prolific Chinese women writers of the 20th century. Many of her works were written for young readers. She ...

among others. Vincenz Hundhausen wrote a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

translation in 1930.Bieg, p
71
A complete English translation and study by Jean Mulligan appeared in 1980. ''Memoirs of the Guitar'', published in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

in 1928,Liu, Wu-Chi, p
291
is an English-language novel self-described as "A Novel of Conjugal Love, Rewritten from a Chinese Classical Drama". The author was Yu Tinn-Hugh and the publisher was the China Current Weekly Publishing Company.

Adaptations

A 1946 American musical comedy based on the Chinese play, titled ''

Lute Song The term lute song is given to a music style from the late 16th century to early 17th century, late Renaissance music, Renaissance to early Baroque music, Baroque, that was predominantly in England and France. Lute songs were generally in stroph ...

'', was written by

Will Irwin William Henry Irwin (September 14, 1873 – February 24, 1948) was an American author, writer, and journalist who was associated with the muckrakers. Early life Irwin was born in 1873 in Oneida, New York. In his early childhood, the Irwin fa ...

and

Sidney Howard Sidney Coe Howard (June 26, 1891 – August 23, 1939) was an American playwright, dramatist and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1925 and a posthumous Academy Award in 1940 for the screenplay for '' Gone with the Wind'' ...

.Birch, p
xvixvii
This adaptation was produced on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

. It starred

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner (), was a Russian-born actor. He was known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical ''The King and I'' (19 ...

and

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in ''South Pacific (musica ...

Cyril Birch Cyril Birch (16 March 1925 – 19 May 2023) was a British-American sinologist who is known for his translations of Chinese literature. He was the Agassiz Professor in Chinese and Comparative Literature at University of California, Berkeley befo ...

, collaborator in a translation of ''

The Peach Blossom Fan ''The Peach Blossom Fan'' () is a musical play and historical drama in 44 scenes that was completed in 1699 by the early Qing dynasty playwright Kong Shangren after more than 10 years of effort. The play depicts the drama that resulted in ...

'', wrote that presumably the basis of the American play was the A. P. L. Balzin French translation of the Chinese play.

References

*Bieg, Lutz. "Literary translations of the classical lyric and drama in the first half of the 20th century: The "case" of Vincenz Hundhausen (1878-1955)." In: Alleton, Vivianne and Michael Lackner (editors). '' De l'un au multiple: traductions du chinois vers les langues européennes Translations from Chinese into European Languages''. Éditions de la maison des sciences de l'homme (Les Editions de la MSH, ), 1999,

. , 9782735107681. *Birch, Cyril. "Introduction: ''

'' as Southern Drama." In: K'ung, Shang-jen. Translators: Chen, Shih-hsiang and Harold Acton. Collaborator: Birch, Cyril. ''The Peach Blossom Fan'' (''T'ao-hua-shan'').

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

, 1976. . * *''Das traditionelle chinesische Theater Vom Mongolendrama bis zur Pekinger Oper'' (Volume 6 of ''Geschichte der chinesischen Literatur'', Wolfgang Kubin, , 9783598245404).

K.G. Saur K. G. Saur Verlag is a German publisher that specializes in reference information for libraries. The publishing house, founded by , is owned by Walter de Gruyter and is based in Munich. In 1987, K. G. Saur was acquired by Reed International. ...

Walter de Gruyter Walter de Gruyter GmbH, known as De Gruyter (), is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. History The roots of the company go back to 1749 when Frederick the Great granted the Königliche Realschule in Be ...

, 2009. , 9783598245435. * Liu, Wu-Chi. ''An Introduction to Chinese Literature''.

Greenwood Publishing Group Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG) was an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which was part of ABC-Clio. Since 2021, ABC-Clio and its suite of imprints, including GPG, are collectively imprints of ...

, 1990. , 9780313267031. * Tanaka, Issei. ''The Social and Historical Context of Ming-Ch'ing Local Drama'' (Chapter 5). In: Johnson, David, Andrew J. Nathan, and Evelyn S. Rawski (editors). ''Popular Culture in Late Imperial China''.

, 1985. p. 143. , 9780520061729.

Notes

External links

*
The Lute
"
Archive

World Digital Library The World Digital Library (WDL) is an international digital library operated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress. The WDL has stated that its mission is to promote international and intercultural understanding, expand the volume ...

*
Gao Ming (c. 1305- c. 1370): Yuefu yushu (Xin qiejing xuan gujin Yuefu gundiao xinci yushu ying) / Pipa ji
" - 1599 illustrated version at the

Royal Danish Library Royal Danish Library () is a merger of the two previous national libraries in Denmark: the State and University Library in Aarhus and the Royal Library in Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, wit ...

* French translation of ''Lute Song'' by A.P.L. Bazin: *
Version on the
Hathi Trust Digital Library *
PDF versionArchive
an
Word versionArchive
** On

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical charac ...

: *** No. 1: Gao, Ming. Translator: Bazin, Antoine-Pierre-Louis.
Le pi-pa-ki: ou, L'histoire du Luth : drame chinois de Kao-Tong-Kia représenté à Péking, en 1404 avec les changements de Mao-Tseu
'. (original document from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

) L'Imprimerie royale, 1841. *** No. 2: Gao, Ming. Translator: Bazin, Antoine-Pierre-Louis.
Le pi-pa-ki: ou, L'histoire du Luth : drame chinois de Kao-Tong-Kia représenté à Péking, en 1404 avec les changements de Mao-Tseu
'. (original document from

) L'Imprimerie royale, 1841. *
Other Stories--"Tale of the Pipa"
"

National Palace Museum The National Palace Museum, also known as Taipei Palace Museum, is a national museum headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in Beijing in 1925, the museum was re-established in Shilin District, Shilin, Taipei, in 1965, later expanded with a S ...

. * {{in lang, fr Info page:
Kao-tong-kia : Le Pi-pa-ki, ou l'Histoire du luth
"
Archive
''La Bibliothèque numérique sur la Chine ancienne''. Ming dynasty plays Plays set in the 2nd century