Book 21 Chapter 23

108 Recommended Books That Students Must Read – But Almost No One Reads – Designated by Cheonmu Academy

A Consideration of Stringless Zithers

Playing a stringless zither, or a stringless zither performance, or a silent zither performance, simply put, refers to the act of playing a zither without strings. When and by whom this reckless series of actions began is still unknown. There is a theory that it originated with Baek Geon, who left behind tales of high mountains and flowing water, or a theory that it was Go Seon-rip, a blind zither player and attempted assassin, but these have not been verified.

Is it truly possible to play a zither without strings? Or is it possible to play it silently even with strings attached?

I know many people will raise the question that a performance, by definition, must produce sound, and that sound must form a beautiful harmony.

To state the conclusion first, the author does not know either.

How could I possibly know? I have never heard it.

At least, I have never heard of it succeeding since I was born.

However, the reason I mention the silent zither performance is to consider the cause of why such a 'reckless' act was attempted.

To understand this, we must first examine a passage from Zhuangzi's "Discussion on Making Things Equal," specifically the term 'thunder of heaven' (천뢰). To complete the set, we must consider earth and man, so naturally there are also 'thunder of earth' (지뢰) and 'thunder of man' (인뢰).

So, what are thunder of heaven, thunder of earth, and thunder of man?

Thunder of earth is the sound of nature. Thunder of man is the sound of humans imitating the sounds of nature. Instruments such as the piri and daegeum can be called thunder of man, human sounds created by imitating the sounds of nature.

Thunder of earth and thunder of man are easy to understand. The problem is this thunder of heaven. Thunder of heaven is sound without sound.

What does that mean?

I venture to guess that it is a hypothesis that it is the silence, the very basis that makes sound possible, that is the most likely candidate.

Lao Tzu spoke of "great vessels are slow to achieve their purpose" (대기만성) and "great sounds are seldom heard" (대음희성), proclaiming that "the ultimate music is soundless sound." He meant that the great music that connects all music does not produce concrete sounds.

This state of 'great sounds are seldom heard' has a common thread with 'thunder of heaven.' Therefore, it is said that the performance of a stringless zither is attempted in order to realize 'thunder of heaven,' playing celestial music without making sound.

Of course, it is difficult to believe that 'thunder of heaven' is possible merely through a simple attempt or act itself. Since 'that ultimate something' must be heard even without sound, the stringless zither forever fails to sprout the seeds of 'thunder of heaven.'

Will humanity ever succeed in producing the sound of 'thunder of heaven'? That remains an unknown.

Ma Jin-ga, who had dispatched a pursuit unit after an unidentified old man, felt mentally fatigued and sat at his desk to rest for a moment. However, even while resting, his gaze was fixed on the top of a pile of discarded documents intended for sorting, in a corner of his desk.

It was a document titled "Cheonmu Academy Delegation Ten-Group Organizational Plan," but it had become waste due to tea stains. Before the old man appeared, he had been drinking tea and reviewing the document. Then, in his haste, he had knocked over the teacup. Fortunately, an identical handwritten copy was safely stored elsewhere.

He unconsciously reached out and picked up the stained document. The tea stains smudging the names of the delegation members here and there made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

Authors: Yu Eun-seong, Jin So-ryeong

Chapter 1. Organizational Principles

I. For the sake of a healthy campus atmosphere, romantic relationships shall be severed.

II. Four new disciples must be assigned to the same group as their respective examiners for guidance and mentorship.

III. As much as possible, talented individuals, including the Nine Dragons and Seven Phoenixes, should be dispersed appropriately among the groups.

IV. To maintain a safe academic environment, female disciples should be assigned to the same group whenever possible.

Chapter 2. Ten-Group Organizational List

Group 1: Yong Cheon-myeong, Yu Yeop-seong, Maeng Yeon-ho, Paeng Jo-yeong

Group 2: Ma Ha-ryeong, Na Ye-rin, Yu Ran

Group 3: Mo Yong-hwi, Gongson Jeol-hwi, Jang Hong, Hyo Ryong, Dan Dae-pung, Jeon Ok-gi

Group 4: Namgung Sang, Yeon Bi, Do Gwang-seo, Geum Yeong-ho, Ha Yun-myeong, Je-gal Yu

Group 5: Jin Ling, Hwa Seol-ok, Hwangbo Ok-yeon, Cheong Mun, Yi Ja-ryong, Paeng Hyeok-seong

Group 6: Cheong Heun, Baek Mu-yeong, Byeon Tae-nam

Group 7: Ha Se-in, Yun Jun-ho, Yu Un-bi, Bi Yeon-tae, Dang Cheol-gi, Cheon So-hae

Group 8: Cheon Ya-jin, Danmok U, Dang Cheol-pyo, Dang Mun-cheon

Group 9: Hyeon Un, Dang Sam, No Hak, Il Gong, Im Seong-jin, Chu Il-tae

Group 10: Namgung Sansan, Gwan Seol-ji, Dang Mun-hye, Yi Jin-seol, Danmok Su-su, Gang Yu-ran