**High Art Has Few Followers**
**[Explanation]**
When a melody is too sophisticated, few people can sing along. Originally, this meant true connoisseurs are hard to find. Nowadays, it is used metaphorically to describe ideas or works that are too obscure or refined for the general public, and thus are understood by only a few.
**[Source]**
*Warring States Period, Chu State · Song Yu, "Reply to the King of Chu"*: "Drawing out the Shang tone, pressing down the Yu tone, interspersed with flowing Zheng tones, among the people of the capital who join in harmony, there are no more than a few. Thus, the higher the melody, the fewer the harmonizers."
**Explanation:**
When the singer raises his voice to produce the Shang note, lowers it for the Yu note, and skillfully blends in the flowing Zheng note, only a handful of people in the capital city are able to follow and harmonize. Thus, the more refined and sophisticated the song, the fewer people who can sing along.
**[The Story]**
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, there was a renowned literary figure in the State of Chu named Song Yu, also known as Zi Yuan. He was celebrated as one of the top ten most handsome men in ancient China. A native of Yan (present-day Yicheng, Hubei), Song Yu was a descendant of the royal family of the State of Song and a literary figure of Chu, also counted among the four most beautiful men of ancient China. Born after Qu Yuan, he was Qu Yuan's intellectual successor and once served King Qingxiang of Chu.
Later, Song Yu served under King Xiang of Chu. Because of his exceptional literary talent and eloquence, the king greatly admired him. This admiration, however, aroused jealousy and resentment among many of his colleagues, who began to speak ill of him to the king.
One day, someone once again slandered Song Yu before the king. Having heard too much criticism, the king became somewhat impatient and summoned Song Yu, asking: "What's going on with you? How have you caused so much gossip?"
Song Yu, relying on his superb debating skills, defended himself with sound reasoning. The king listened and said, "What you say makes sense. But why is it that these people specifically don't get along with you and constantly speak ill of you? If you can give me a convincing explanation, I will consider all their words false. Otherwise, no matter how well you argue, it will be useless!"
Song Yu immediately replied: "Your Majesty, let me tell you a story. There was a visitor who came to the capital. One day, he began singing in the marketplace.
At first, he sang 'Xia Li Ba Ren,' a popular folk song of Chu at the time. Because the melody was simple and easy to understand, many people knew it, so several thousand joined in singing along. Soon, he began singing the more refined tune 'Yang E,' at which point only several hundred people followed along. Later, he sang the even more sophisticated 'Yang Chun Bai Xue,' which was more difficult, so only a few dozen people sang along. Finally, he blended and developed the five fundamental musical notes—Gong, Shang, Jue, Zheng, and Yu—reaching the pinnacle of musical artistry. At this point, almost no one could sing along anymore.
The principle is this: the more refined the song, the fewer people who can harmonize with it!" Upon hearing the story, the king immediately said, "Ah, I understand now!"
Later generations thus distilled the idiom "High Art Has Few Followers" from this story, using it to describe ideas or works that are too sophisticated or obscure, and therefore understood by only a very small number of people.