Abstract
The concept of jiqu（collective tunes,集曲）in writing nanqu（literally ”Southern Songs”,南曲）started to become popular in the middle of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Many writers created numerous tunes（曲牌）based on this concept; thus the number of these tunes increased tremendously. When Tang Ye（葉堂）wrote ”Nashuying simeng quanpu”（《納書楹四夢全譜》）, he adjusted the musical score to fit Hsian-tsu Tang's（湯顯祖）original lyrics using the concept of jiqu, which allowed for all the ”Simeng”（《四夢》）to be sung. However, questions remain such as what were the rules of jiqu when collecting phrases from various Southern Tunes and organizing them into a new tune? What were the methods of connecting different tunes?This essay explores the approaches to naming new jiqu tunes, introduces the rules of creating jiqu, and analyzes various techniques of connecting musical pitches by examining Tang Ye's ”Nashuying qupu”（《納書楹曲譜》）and ”Nashuying simeng quanpu”. Although jiqu was undoubtedly a major means to improve or create new tunes, the author of this essay now believes that the literature was the primary concern when composing a new tune - as long as the music still sounded harmonious.