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Zhong Ziqi
Traditionally a man of Chu in the Spring and Autumn period whose perfect ear for Boya's zither made him the archetypal kindred listener
On an autumn lakeside, a large blank stone stele stands on a carved base with an offering table of fruit and a cup in front, beside a leaf-covered mound under a drooping willow; one person holds a lantern at the left, and an arched bridge lies in the distance.
Also known as Zhong Qi
Zhong Ziqi is traditionally said to have been a man of Chu in the Spring and Autumn period, famed for his ear. According to the Lüshi Chunqiu, when Boya played thinking of Mount Tai, Zhong Ziqi said it was lofty as Mount Tai; when he thought of flowing water, Ziqi heard a rushing torrent. After Ziqi died, Boya smashed his zither and never played again, believing no one was left worth playing for. The Liezi tells the same story. Their friendship gave rise to the term zhiyin, 'one who knows the tune', and Ziqi is the listener in 'Boya Plays the Zither'.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; traditionally placed in the Spring and Autumn period