抄録
Kung, shan, chiao, chin, yü are used in three ways: (1) as musical terms, (2) as expressions of the gogyô (five natural elements), and (3) as terms used in phonology. Although they were originally used as musical terms, they came to be employed in the latter two senses.
1. As musical terms they describe the way the five sounds kung, shang, chiao, chin, yü are obtained. The sounds are obtained in two ways (1) the sanbukyoistu or -sonitsu method first divides the Ritsukan (pitch pipe) into three equal lengths and then shortens it one third the length, (2) Sanbu-ekiitsu method, on the other hand, makes the pitch pipe one third the length longer. By repeating this procedure of adding and subtracting one-third lengths of the pitch pipe, the above five sounds are produced. There is, however, a one and a half tone difference between chiao and chin, and between yü and high kung. In addition to these five sounds, as music theory progressed, pien-chin and pien-kung were made. And these are equal to “c, d, e, f#, g, a, b”. Pien represents a half tone lower (flat).
2. These five characters also came to be used as terms representing the five natural elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water). Since these characters first represented different levels of pitch or sound they later came to associated with such rankings as kun (lord), shin (retainer), min (commoners), ji (works), butsu (things), or again with such listings as the gohô (five directions), the gozô (five internal organs), the gomi (five tastes), and the gotei (five kings). In later ages, it influenced the thought of Shinsen (divine ascetics) and Taoism.
3. From the original sense of “sound” or “pitch”, these characters were used to refer to the shisei (four tones in Chinese speech). Moreover, they were used to represent the places of articulation (e. g., palatals). Outstanding examples of this way of representing places of articulation are found in phonology texts of the Sung Dynasty.
