古琴是東漢銅鏡紋飾中最重要的樂器，從留存至今日的東漢神獸鏡紋飾來 看，其中保留有一批「伯牙彈琴」的圖像。伯牙經常與東王公、西王母及黃帝等 道教神仙及神禽瑞獸並列。1 因此，本文擬探討何以「伯牙彈琴」的故事在東漢時 期會被推崇為道教文化的內容之一？古琴在東漢時期的道教信仰中是否具有特殊 的意義？此外，本文也擬對東漢神獸鏡紋飾中所見的古琴形制加以考察，透過與 出土及傳世的琴形樂器之同異做比較，以見東漢時期古琴造型可能存在的類型。

The guqin is the most important musical instrument appearing on the ornamentation of Chinese bronze mirrors. After the Han dynasty, many Deity and Animal bronze mirror ornamentations featured the legendary “Boya plays the Guqin”. Boya always sits with the King and Father of the East, the Queen Mother of the West, and the Yellow Emperor, who are all famous gods and saints. It is worth discussing why the guqin was such a dominant musical instrument during the Han dynasty. Why was Boya esteemed to the point of being deified? Did guqin music have the social function of entertaining the gods? At the same time, the author also aims to determine the transformation of the guqin’s shape during the Han dynasty by tracing the design of Deity and Animal bronze mirror ornamentation. In addition, the author compares the similarities and differences between other guqins which were excavated from unearthed tombs dating from the period from the Warring States to the Han dynasty. Finally, through the above discussion, the author will provide a detailed illustration of the evolution of the guqin’s shape during the Han dynasty, and indicate the guqin’s cultural significance during the same period.