釋氏要覽 1.449

1.449

僧史略云。亦曰唱導也。始則西域上座凡赴請。呪願以悅檀越之心。舍利弗多辯才。曾作上座。讚導頗佳。白衣大歡喜。此為表白之推輪也○梁高僧傳云。夫唱導所貴者。其事四焉。一聲。二辯。三才。四博也。非聲無以警眾。非辯無以適時。非才言無可釆。非博語無依據（陳錢塘高僧真觀有八能。則唱導一也）。

The Sengshi lüe says: "It is also called changdao 唱導 [leading the chanting/intonation]. Originally, whenever a senior elder in the Western Regions attended an invitation, he would make an aspirational prayer to gladden the heart of the donor. Śāriputra possessed great eloquence; once when serving as the senior elder, his praise and guidance were exceptionally fine, and the laity rejoiced greatly. This was the forerunner of biaobai." The Liang Gaoseng zhuan says: "What is valued in leading the chanting consists of four matters: first, voice; second, eloquence; third, talent; fourth, erudition. Without voice, there is nothing with which to alert the assembly; without eloquence, there is nothing with which to suit the occasion; without talent, one's words have nothing worth gathering; without erudition, one's expressions lack foundation." (The eminent monk Zhenguan of Qiantang in the Chen dynasty had eight abilities, of which leading the chanting was one.)