《汉书·纪·元帝纪》
班固评论：臣外祖兄弟曾为元帝侍中，告诉过臣说元帝兴趣广泛，精于书法，会弹琴、吹箫，能按曲谱，为配新词，节拍分明，穷极要妙。
赞曰：臣外祖兄弟为元帝侍中，语臣曰：元帝多材艺，善史书。鼓琴瑟，吹洞箫，自度曲，被歌声，分节度，穷极幼眇。
Ban Gu’s comment: My maternal grandfather’s brother, who served as Emperor Yuan’s chamberlain, once told me that Emperor Yuan had a wide range of interests, excelling in calligraphy, playing the guqin and xiao, and followed musical scores to compose lyrics. His beat was clear, utterly profound.