Qiyun (Breath and Resonance)
A key Chinese aesthetic ideal: the breath that drives a phrase and the resonance that lingers
Related
Qiyun is a standard of judgement in Chinese art, first named in painting criticism. Split it: qi is the breath and momentum running through a phrase, yun the resonance and aftertaste that remain once a note has sounded. On the qin, qi shows in the control of phrasing and pauses, yun in the left hand's slides and the lingering ring of harmonics.
It is not mysticism, and not a synonym for "pleasant": it has audible tests — does the breath run on, does the phrase close, do ornaments grow out of the tune? Technique without qiyun is dry; qiyun without technique is empty.
Read deeper → Guqin
Sources
- 气韵作为中国艺术品评标准及其在琴乐中的体现，参《中国音乐词典》与 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "China" 相关条目；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.