It would have been nearly impossible for a Chinese person living during the Qing dynasty to be sure how music had been played during the Ming dynasty, unless perhaps someone somewhere had passed on the musical style unchanged from master to disciple over generations.
就中國傳統音樂的傳承來說，除非靠口傳心授，對清代人來說，要確定明代的音樂如何演奏，其實已是難事。