余音绕梁

Origin and story

In the Liezi's Tang Wen chapter, Qin Qing tells of the singer Han E, who travels toward Qi and runs short of food. Passing Yongmen, she sings to earn something to eat. After she leaves, the tale says, her voice remains around the roof beams for three days, so listeners think she is still there.

The story continues with equally extraordinary effects: her sorrow makes a neighborhood weep, and her returning song turns its grief into dancing joy. These are legendary images of music's emotional power, not a report about ordinary acoustics. The idiom describes a beautiful performance whose impression lingers after the sound itself has ended.