余音饶梁
《列子·汤问》：“昔韩娥东之齐，匮粮，过雍门，鬻歌假食。既去，而余音绕梁欐(li)，三日不绝，左右以其人弗去。过逆旅，逆旅人辱之。韩娥因曼声哀 哭，一里老幼悲愁，垂涕相对，三日不食。遽而追之。娥还，复为曼声长歌。一里老幼喜跃忭舞，弗能自禁，忘向之悲也。乃厚赂发之。”
我国古时有一位善歌者韩娥，韩国人。一次她经过齐国，因路费用尽，曾在齐国都城（临淄，今属山东）的雍门，举行过一次歌唱演出。
韩娥的歌喉与众不同，声音清脆嘹亮，婉转悠扬，十分动人。这次演唱，轰动全城。唱完以后，听众还聚在雍门，徘徊留恋，不肯散去。有人便到旅店去找韩娥，请她再来演唱。
可是旅店老板却对韩娥很不礼貌，韩娥忍不住放声大哭。哭声悲伤凄楚，附近居民，都被感动得流下泪来，一连三天，大家都难过得吃不下饭。当人们听说韩娥已 经出城离去时，立刻派人去追，苦苦挽留。韩娥不便违拗百姓的要求，便回来为大家继续演唱了一次。听众很高兴，几天来的悲伤情绪一扫而空。
由于韩娥的歌声，婉转动听，唱完以后两三天，似乎还有遗留的歌声，在屋梁间缭绕飘荡。《列子·汤问》在描写这一情节时说“余音绕梁，三日不绝”。从此，人们称赞歌声或音乐的美妙，余音不绝，就常用“绕梁三日”来比喻。
上述故事，晋人张华的《博物志》中也有记载。但是有人认为：韩娥当时歌唱演出的地点雍门，不在齐国的国都，而在秦国的国都（今陕西咸阳）；并认为韩娥在 雍门演唱的事，是在她去齐国之前，不是在到了齐国之后，是因为她要到齐国去，缺乏路费，于是演唱筹款。后来有人还因此给韩娥的姓名添一“秦”字而称为韩秦 娥。（元人“燕南芝庵”《论曲》：“古善唱者五人：秦青、薛谭、韩秦娥、沈右之、李存符。”）
后形容歌声优美动听，给人留下深刻印象。
The Music Ended Long Ago, but It Still Lingers in the Mind
Few of us have not listened to a beautiful piece of music, and found that the melody is still in our minds even long after the music ends? In Chinese, we have a phrase to describe this kind of music: yu yin rao liang, meaning the music still lingers, long after it has finished. Here is the story behind it.
During the Spring and Autumn period, over two thousand years ago, in the Han Dukedom there lived a girl named Han E. She was not only very beautiful, but also had a golden voice, and sang like a bird. She put her heart and soul into her singing, entrancing all who heard her.
One day, Han E went to the Qi Dukedom. When she came to the capital, she had neither food nor money. So she stopped at the city’s Yongmen, and sang to the passers-by, hoping to earn some coins. Attracted by her beautiful singing, a large crowd soon gathered. The people were so charmed that, even after Han E left, they still heard the music ringing sweetly in their ears.
That night, Han E went to look for a cheap hotel where she could spend the night. In a dark side street she was accosted by some rough fellows, and only narrowly escaped their evil clutches. She managed to reach the safety of a hotel, but was so shaken by her experience that she cried and cried. But eventually her crying changed into a sad, plaintive song, that floated gently through the still night air. Although she sang very softly, the people around were woken up, and found themselves moved to tears by the sorrow and sweetness of her lament. Early the next morning, many of them went to the hotel to comfort her, but she had already gone. They didn’t want her to leave their city with sadness in her heart, and went to look for her. Happily, they found her, and Han E was much comforted by their kindness. They also found the ruffians who had given her such a fright, and had them locked up by the magistrate.
Han E was soon her old, happy self, and was only too pleased to sing for these good people. Her enchanting voice filled them with joy, and they forgot all their worries. After Han E left, the local people often sang her songs, and by and by singing became an important part of life in the city. From this touching story comes the expression, yu yin rao liang. And we still use it to describe beautiful music.
(Source:english.cri.cn)
