When Confucius was 29 years old, he went to the Wei state and learned to play the qin, a seven-stringed traditional Chinese instrument, from Shi Xiang, a music master in the Spring and Autumn Period. He practiced a piece of music repeatedly for ten days. Shi Xiang thought he played very well, so he advised him for three times to practice other music pieces. But Confucius refused him. The first time, he said he had not yet grasped the romantic charm of the music. The second time, he said he had not yet realized who the composer was. The last time, he said he had not yet felt the spirit of the composer. One day, after practicing the piece, Confucius stood up and looked out of the window for a long time before he suddenly realized and said, “Now I know the composer’s character and demeanor! No one can make this music except King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty!” On hearing of this, Shi Xiang immediately stood up, bowed to Confucius and said, “You are indeed a sage. This piece of music is exactly Wen Wang Cao (Ode to the King Wen of Zhou)!”