，瀑布之飞流。钟子期沉醉在音乐之中，又自言自语地说：“善哉乎鼓琴，汤汤乎若流水。”伯牙所弹的乐曲意境，所寄托的情感，钟子期都能心领神会，伯牙大惊，知道遇见知音了，二人一见如故，结为知交。约定第二年此时再相会。
第二年伯牙如期赴约，可是总不见钟子期的到来，伯牙很奇怪，一打听：原来钟子期已经故去。伯牙悲痛欲绝，感叹自己今后弹琴再也没有这样的知音了，绝望之中当即弄断了琴弦，摔坏了宝琴，从此不再弹琴。
这个故事中伯牙弹的乐曲就是《高山流水》。这个曲子几经流传直到现在还在演奏。后来分为《高山》、《流水》两部分。
1977年8月20日，美国发射了两艘“航行者”太空船，科学家希望有朝一日能有兴遇到地球以外的“人类”。因此在太空船上有一张喷金的铜唱片（即使过了十亿年也会铮亮如新），唱片上共录有世界名曲二十七段，其中代表中国的乐曲就是用古琴演奏的这首古曲《高山流水》其中的《流水》。
High Mount Flowing Water -- Chinese Music in Space |
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During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), there was a man called Yu Boya, who was a famous music master at that time, having a good command of the temperament and superb skills in playing the musical instrument.
Once, on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, Boya was boating for sightseeing. 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 musical instrument. 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 musical instrument 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 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.
High Mount Flowing Water played by Boya was divided into two parts later, one is High Mountains, and the other is Flowing Water.
America sent out two spacecraft on August 20 in 1977. Expecting to meet humankind in other planets, the spacecraft carried a gold-painted bronze record consisting of 27 pieces of world famous music. Flowing Water was chosen to represent Chinese music in that record.
