高山流水　
              
            
     《高山流水》，为中国十大古曲之一。
       春秋时代，有个叫俞伯牙的人，精通音律，琴艺高超，是当时著名的琴师一夜伯牙乘船游览。面对清风明月，他思绪万千，于是又弹起琴来，琴声悠扬，渐入佳境。忽听岸上有人叫绝。伯牙闻声走出船来，只见一个樵夫站在岸边，他知道此人是知音当即请樵夫上船，兴致勃勃地为他演奏。伯牙弹起赞美高山的曲调，樵夫说道：“真好！雄伟而庄重，好像高耸入云的泰山一样！”当他弹奏表现奔腾澎湃的波涛时，樵夫又说：“真好！宽广浩荡，好像看见滚滚的流水，无边的大海一般！”伯牙兴奋了，激动地说：“知音！你真是我的知音。”
      这个樵夫就是钟子期。两人分别约定，明年此时此刻还在这里相会。第二年，伯牙如期赴会，但却久等子期不到。于是，伯牙就顺着上次钟子期回家的路去寻找。半路上，他遇到一位老人打听子期的家。这一打听才知道，原来，这位老人正是子期的父亲。老人告诉伯牙，子期又要砍柴又要读书，再加上家境贫寒，积劳成疾，已经在半月前去世了。子期去世时担心伯牙会这在里久等，叮嘱老人一定要在这一天来通知伯牙。听到这个消息后悲痛欲绝。他随老人来到子期的坟前，抚琴一曲哀悼知己。曲毕，就在子期的坟前将琴摔碎，并且发誓终生不再抚琴。自此始有高山流水遇知音,伯牙摔琴谢知音的典故。
      故事出自《列子•汤问》。成语“高山流水”，
      比喻知己或知音，也比喻音乐优美。

                Understanding and Appreciative Friends

“high mountain and running river ” is one 0f the famous music pieces in China。
During the Spring and Autumn Period（770-476B.C.）.there was a man whose name was Yu Boya. Yuboya was a famous music master at that time, having a good command of the temperament and superb skills in playing the Chinese Guqin.

Once, on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, he was boating for sight-seeing. The moon was bright and a cool breeze was blowing gently. With myriads of thoughts welling up in his mind, he began to play the Chinese guqin. The melodious music became more and more beautiful when a man on the bank shouted "bravo!”Hearing the shouting, Boya came out of the boat, and saw a woodcutter standing on the bank. He knew that this man was keenly appreciative of his talents, because he understood his music. He immediately invited the woodcutter to his boat and, full of zest, he played the guqin for him. When Boya played a piece of music eulogizing the high mountains, the woodcutter said, "Wonderful! The melody is as magnificent and dignified as Mount Tai which reaches to the sky! "When he played a piece of music depicting the turbulent waves, the woodcutter said, "Wonderful! The melody is as vast and mighty as the great rivers! “Boya was excited, and said:" Bosom friend! You are really my bosom friend! "That woodcutter was Zhong Ziqi. Since then, they had been very good friends.

They made a appointment to meet there the next year. The next year, BoYa arrived, but he waited and waited, there was no sign of Ziqi. Boya followed the way Ziqi has once left to find him. On his way, he came across an old man, and asked him whether he know where Ziqi lived. The old man was Ziqi’s father. He told Boya, Ziqi lived a hard life; because his family was so poor that he has to cut wood and study on his free time. Due to the hard life, he was serious illed and passed away half a mouth before. Ziqi afraid Boya would be waiting here, so he asked his father to come and inform him on that day. Boya was too grief to say anything. He followed Ziqi’s father to his grave, and play a piece of guqin for him. After he played the music, Boya dashed guqin into pieces in front of Ziqi’s grave. He swore that he would never play guqin again to remember Ziqi.

This story appears in The Works of Lie Zi. From this story, people have derived the set phrase "high mountain and running water" to refer to understanding and appreciative friends. This set of phrase is also used to refer to melodious music.