1 .

Sme say that he arrived at it by listening to the singing of the Pengs or Fengs
(a powerful tribe living south of the Yangtze-kiang), the voices uf the mell
ghing him six demitones and those of the women the remaining six.

2 . Others give the sn.me theory with this pn.rticnlar change, that the Fengs werl'
not human beings, bnt Lirds; the male being called H1J,. (fl11y), and the female
(luurny). 3 Unfortunately for this theory, a third account assmes us that
these birds were simply imaginary.4

3 . Another writer attributes to the rolling waves of the Yellow River the idea of
the first sound. The bamboos growing on its Lordcrs were nserl to render it.5
4 . Another writer, less poetical but not less positive, is convinced that LING LuN cut

IL

his bamboos according to tlie terms of a triple progression of I 2 numbers, as

I, 3, 9, 27, 81, etc., which, indeed, exhibit the numerical values of a series of
perfect fifths. 6
l:lnt without questioning to what extent these theories may be acceptable, it is more
reasonable to beJieye that the discovery of tlrn I'.! divisions of the octaYe was due to simple
and natural causes.
That the ancient Chinese shonld notice the difference of pitcl1 Letwcen the sounds emitted
Li tnl,es of different length is qnite natural; that tltey contrived to find a tube the sound
of ,rhich corresponded exactly to the fundamental note uf the then existing music is not
astonishing; that they then became anxious to have tubes corresponding to the other sounds
of their scale is qnite comprehensible ; and that when comparing, blowing, or cutting they
cliscoverecl the way to the c1ivision of the octave into 12 semitones is not at all impossible.
The Chinese hn.ve al ways been fond of seeking the similitude or contrasts existing
Let ween everything in cren.tion. Between heaven and earth, they say, there is perfect harmony.
Now, 3 is the emblem of heaven, z is the symbol of en.rth. 7
If two sounds arc in the
proportion of 3 to 2, they will harmonise as perfectly n.s hea,en and earth. On this principle
a second tube was cnt measuring exactly two-thii:ds of the length of the first tube, and tlw

l!J

' Jfi. 7ti

ire ffi' 1t fil ::k Ji z Fi W. -mt z tt z Nm ;tt f!J. t II ffi Fii ra1 no

z .lDouoLAs'
; 1Jf. it z 'g.
"China," p. 162.
2

3 "Jonrnal of the North-Chimi Brauch of the Royal Asiatic Society," No. VIII, 1874, p. 96.
4 l\IoRRISON's Dictionary : character .

s AinoT, "i\Iemories sur Jes Chinois."

6 PAUL PERNY's Dictionaiy, Part II.
7 The
says: ffi :Ji!&.