This piece was first published in the Shenqi Mipu of 1425. It relates to the capture of a unicorn in 489 BC by Duke Ai of the state of Lu. When Confucius saw it, he was very sad. When asked why, he said that the arrival of a unicorn should signify the appearance of a man of great talent. Since none had appeared, it was a bad omen. So he wrote a lament on the capture of the unicorn.

The instrument used to make this recording is a reproduction of the famous Tang Dynasty qin Jiu Xiao Huan Pei in the Palace Museum, Beijing, with silk strings.