叠蠲doubled juan
Pinyin: dié juān
Right hand, compoundAlso written: 叠涓, 叠指, 连蠲, 双蠲
Juan doubled: either mo, mo, gou, gou on two adjacent strings for four notes, or simply mo and gou in quick succession on one string.
How it is played
Four-note form: the index finger plucks mo on the main string, pauses slightly and plucks the neighboring string, then the middle finger quickly hooks the main string and the neighbor, four notes in succession. The two-note form is just mo and gou run together on one string (see juan).
How it sounds
The four-note form sounds like a short run alternating between two strings; the two-note form is the same note sounded twice quickly.
In the classical handbooks
一絃兩聲而用抹勾，先抹後勾，取其急速之聲；遲則為抹勾，便非疊指也。Gist: Two notes on one string with mo and gou, mo first and then gou, for a quick sound. Played slowly it becomes mo-gou and is no longer die zhi.
Where sources disagree
How many strings and how many notes
- Two notes on one string, mo and gou run together; played slowly it is merely mo-gou. Source: Chengjiantang Qinpu, “Qinpu Zhifa” section(opens in a new window) · View the original page
- The index finger plucks mo on the great string, pauses, plucks mo on the second string, then the middle finger quickly hooks both the great and second strings: four notes in all, also called lian juan. Source: Qinshu Daquan (Great Compendium of Qin Writings) (via the Guoqinwang technique database)(opens in a new window)
- Mo on two strings first, then a quick gou on two strings. Source: 《学海类编》 (via the Guoqinwang technique database)(opens in a new window)
- Mo and gou and then tiao and ti on one string, four notes in all. Source: 《诚一堂琴谱》 (via the Guoqinwang technique database)(opens in a new window)
Easily confused with
- 蠲juān· index then middle finger inward, two quick notesThe two-note die juan and juan are really the same thing; the four-note die juan needs two strings.
References
- 管平湖《古指法考》（北京古琴文化研究会 编，中国书店出版社 2019；据 1963 年中国音乐研究所油印本整理，依《琴用指法》《乌丝栏》《太音大全》《琴书大全》考订古指法）Scholarship
- 国琴网指法库「叠涓——琴书大全1」(opens in a new window)Qin community
- 国琴网指法库「叠涓——澄鉴堂琴谱」(opens in a new window)Qin community