入慢entering the slow section
Pinyin: rù màn
Terms and marksFrom here on, play slowly; mostly at the end of a piece or at a turning point between sections.
How it is played
Placed at the head of a section or phrase to say that playing slows from here. Most common in the closing part of a piece, also in transitions between sections. Play more expansively, but keep the line connected. Whether it means a gradual slowing or a shift into a freely timed slow passage is understood differently; see below.
In the classical handbooks
入慢也。慢彈也。Gist: Ru man: play slowly.
入慢也。曲至後，有故慢而彈。Gist: Ru man: toward the end of a piece, deliberately play slowly.
Where sources disagree
A gradual slowing, or a shift into an unmetered slow passage
- Toward the end of a piece, deliberately play slowly. Source: Wuzhizhai Qinpu, vol. 1, fingering(opens in a new window) · View the original page
- The qin's ru man is a slowing at a transition, like the zhuan in vocal music. Source: Fang Yizhi, Wuli Xiaoshi, vol. 1, “Musical rhythm”(opens in a new window)
- The section shifts into slow playing, which is usually unmetered like the free opening and the “tumbling” style. Source: Yihe Qin Society, “Jianzipu: a short guide to technique symbols”(opens in a new window)
- Equivalent to a gradual ritardando. Source: Guoqinwang, “54 guqin techniques in one chart”(opens in a new window)