During the Tang Dynasty, the brilliant scholar Han Yu served as a professor at the Imperial Academy. His vast knowledge made him one of the most admired teachers, as his lectures were filled with vivid examples and eloquent speeches that captivated his students.
Once, he wrote an essay titled "Explanation of Advancement in Learning" to vent his frustration over possessing exceptional talent yet suffering demotion.
The essay "Explanation of Learning" is written in the form of a dialogue.
One day, Han Yu instructed the Imperial Academy students:
Han Yu, the great Tang Dynasty scholar, once advised, "Learning is perfected through diligence and ruined by idleness; conduct is achieved through careful thought and destroyed by carelessness. Now, the emperor and his officials are in harmony, those in power are impartial, and all talented individuals are employed—who has ever heard of a person of great ability being overlooked by the court?"
The imperial students burst into laughter. One student stepped forward and said:
“Master, you are deceiving us! We have studied under you for many years and know how tirelessly you have labored, treating your studies with utmost diligence. You have immersed yourself in the ancient Confucian classics, deeply grasping their essence, and then crafted incisive essays. These writings draw from the top—the ancient works of Yu Shun, the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the rigor of the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, the exaggeration of the *Zuo Commentary*, the strangeness of the *Book of Changes*, and the marvels of the *Book of Songs*; and from the bottom—the ethereal nature of *Zhuangzi*, the literary grace of *Li Sao*, all the way to the essence of the works of Yang Xiong, Sima Qian, and Sima Xiangru of the Western Han. Every source you have drawn from has its own unique character, all being exquisite writings, like beautiful music—different in tune but all delightful to the ear. The content of your writings is rich, and your words are free and unrestrained; your conduct is a model for us. Yet, Master, you often find yourself in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. Why is this?”
After hearing this, Han Yu made a self-deprecating excuse, saying:
"You make a fair point, but to be honest, it's already a stroke of luck that I can stand here teaching you." Later, the idiom "Different Tunes, Same Excellence" came to describe works by different authors or artists that achieve equally high mastery.
Source: Han Yu (Tang Dynasty), *Explanation of Advanced Learning*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "同工异曲" came to describe works by different authors or artists that achieve equally high mastery.