Yang Dan. “‘Different’ Versions of Kunqu Singing Rules: Comparing
Textual Variants in Nanci Yinzheng and Wei Liangfu’s Qulü in Late
Ming Qu Anthologies.” Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore
226 (2024.12): 7-28.
楊丹。〈「另一種」崑曲曲律：《南詞引正》與晚明曲類選本中的魏良輔《曲律》比較〉。《民俗曲藝》226 (2024.12): 7-28。
Abstract
Qulü 曲律 (Rules of Singing Qu) are influential singing guidelines
for the performance of Kunqu authored by Wei Liangfu 魏良輔 (ca. 1526–ca. 1587). While primarily a treatise on the
systematic principles of Kunqu pure singing, Wei’s Qulü also
reflects the development of qu scholarship in the Ming dynasty. This
text was circulated in both manuscript and printed form; the only surviving
manuscript is entitled Nanci yinzheng 南詞引正 (The Guide to Correct Southern Lyrics) and contains a colophon
dated 1547. Several printed qu anthologies from the late Ming
incorporated Wei Liangfu’s Qulü in their prefaces. These editions,
however, contain multiple textual variants. By examining several editions of
this work, the present paper aims to discuss what can be learned from the
textual variants of specific entries in the Qulü. First, the
disappearance of information about Zhongzhou yun 中州韻 (Rhymes of the Central Plains) in printed editions can be cited
as evidence to support the argument that, while Zhongzhou yun was still
regarded as the basic principle for Kunqu singing, late Ming qu
theorists made attempts to adjust the use of rhyme for southern qu.
Secondly, the deletion of an entry entitled “correcting dialectal
pronunciation” shows that the editors of late Ming qu anthologies were
actively engaged in correcting perceived mistakes in Qulü by editing the
text according to the style of the publication and their ideas when collecting Qulü
into their anthologies. Based on this observation, I argue that editors of late
Ming qu anthologies played a significant role in the development of Kunqu
singing rules. Specifically, they deleted and revised problematic content,
removing an entry on correcting dialectal pronunciation to bring Wei Liangfu’s
rules into line with the local characteristics of their anthologies. In
addition, they added their opinions about Kunqu pure singing into the
text. These editorial activities helped to generate new versions of Wei
Liangfu’s Qulü that differ from the Nanci yinzheng.
《曲律》相傳為魏良輔（約1526–約1587）所作。作為崑曲演唱規則，魏良輔《曲律》在崑曲界有着權威地位。除了規範曲唱這一主要功能外，《曲律》還可視為反映明代曲學發展變化的材料。《曲律》主要以兩種形態—抄本與刻本流傳於世，抄本題為《南詞引正》（1547年序）。刻本則以凡例的形式刊刻於晚明諸多曲類選本，不同版本間又存在多種文本差異。通過對《曲律》個別條目在不同版本中的呈現進行比較觀察，本文意在探討《曲律》異文所反映出的明代曲學發展變化。首先，「中州韻」訊息的消失，反映中州韻雖仍被視為曲唱基本用韻準則，但晚明曲家已開始進行調整南曲用韻規範的嘗試。第二，「糾正方音」條目的消失可體現出《曲律》中的訛誤在晚明曲類選本的編輯過程中受到重視，晚明曲類選本編輯將《曲律》收入時結合地域特點和個人見解對文本內容進行刪改或添加。由以上觀察可知，晚明曲類選本的編輯在《曲律》文本的發展過程中發揮了重要作用，具體表現為其編輯對《曲律》文本的訛誤內容進行刪改，或基於曲類選本的地方特色，將關於糾正方音的條目刪除，並在《曲律》條目中加入對崑曲清唱的個人見解。這些編輯行為使得一套不同於《南詞引正》的《曲律》文本漸次於晚明曲類選本中生成。