Xu Chunhua | Xunzi's "Treatise on Music": Promoting a Kind of "Music" that Conforms to the "Tao"

Author: Xu Chunhua, doctoral supervisor of the Department of Philosophy, Hebei University

The emotion of life is the root of the emergence of "happiness", and this natural natural emotion is "heavenly feeling"; "happiness" has the function of "suitable feeling" and "peace of mind". The ideological theme and ideal realm of Shen Zhangxunzi's "Treatise on Music" actively advocate the value effect of "Gagaku" and "Zhengsheng", which has great practical value and positive and far-reaching significance for the realization of personal perfect personality and the construction of a harmonious society.

"Music" is rooted in human nature and realizes the harmonious unity of heaven and earth, "music" and emotions

In Xunzi's ideological vision, the commonality of "sex", "feelings", and "desires" is that they are all natural and natural. "Sex" refers to an innate instinct, this natural nature will give rise to likes and dislikes, moods, sorrows, and "desires" caused by the sensation of external objects by the ears, eyes, mouth, body, heart and other organs. From the perspective of the relationship between the three, "affection" resides in it, and the "sex" of the upper person is the "quality" of nature; the "desire" of the person who is sent is the "response" of the emotion. In the final analysis, "affection" is the "quality" of human nature, and there must be sex with its feelings, and disposition is one. This kind of "feeling", that is, a naturally generated emotion of life, rather than the "good, evil and evil" feeling that contains moral consciousness in it, so Xunzi called this natural emotion "heavenly feeling".

Xun zi understood "happiness" as the fundamental pursuit of human life, as a way for human beings to communicate with the universe, heaven and earth, and all things, which is the metaphysical basis for the occurrence and existence of "happiness".

From the origin of "happiness", "happiness" is rooted in human nature, originating from "heavenly feelings", and is an inevitable emotional need for human life. This is not only because "music" has the attributes of human emotions, but also mainly because "music" implies human beings' pursuit of perfection and perfection and yearning for the ideal realm. Therefore, the "happiness" of Xunzi has the meaning of connecting from top to bottom: it can lead to the "way of the world"; below it can enter the hearts of the people and promote the "transformation of human nature". On the one hand, it is believed that "music" is "the way of the world is complete" ("Xunzi Confucianism"), and from the similarities between "Music" and "Poetry", "Book", "Li", "Yi", and "Spring and Autumn", they are all the embodiment of the "Way of Heaven" and the reflection of the existence and development of all things in heaven and earth.

From the uniqueness of "music", "music" and instruments are connected with all things in heaven and earth, and are symbols of all things in heaven and earth, among which the drum symbolizes the clarity of heaven, the bell symbolizes the vastness of the earth, the suppleness of water symbolizes the suppleness of water, the flute symbolizes the harmony of all things, the flute symbolizes the diversity of the sun, moon, stars, that is, the diversity of all things, and the bending of the head and the movement of music and dance symbolizes the change of the four hours of the heavenly path. The reason why Xunzi attaches special importance to "happiness" is probably the main reason that "music" germinates from life emotions, and in turn can adjust life emotions, thus indicating that heaven and earth, "music" and emotions have homology. "Music" can not only reflect the natural order and harmonious unity of all things in heaven and earth, but also penetrate deeply into people's hearts, cultivate emotions, and move people's "kindness".

"Music" must conform to the "Tao"

Xun Zi believes that "feelings" and "desires" are connected, and if they are left to their own devices, even if you are the Son of Heaven, you cannot "exhaust"; even if you are an ordinary person who guards the door, although you can't do it, you can't get it. Only the "joy" that actively advocates the expression of human feelings of joy, anger, love and evil can meet the needs of the free flow of human emotions. But even so, Xunzi emphasized the need to guide emotions and desires into the "Tao", that is, the "Festival" to the "Tao". Therefore, Xunzi strongly opposes mozi's "non-pleasure" and actively advocates the "positive music" and "yale" of smooth human emotions. The so-called "zhengle" and "yale", that is, "the music of the first kings" and "the sound of Yasong", can make people feel spiritual pleasure, full of heroism, and dignified appearance; the opposite of "zhengle" and "yale" is "evil sound" and "obscene sound". The so-called "evil sound" and "obscene sound", that is, the "voice of Zheng Wei", it will only lead to people's emotional confusion, human nature swaying, and atrocities. Xun Zi advocated that the state should set up a kind of "Taishi" who is specifically in charge of music and art, the purpose of which is to institutionally guarantee the smooth progress of "zhengle" and "gagaku", prohibit the proliferation of "evil sounds" and "obscene sounds", and guide people's life emotions to normal and even elegant tracks.

Xun Zi proposed that the people should be "happy to get their way" instead of "happy to get what they want", "if you control your desire with the Tao, you will be happy but not chaotic; if you want to forget the Tao, you will be confused and not happy." So the musician, so the dole also. Since the emotional need for the pursuit of pleasure is inevitable, its development should be smooth. But the basic premise of "shun" (smooth or unimpeded) is "enjoying the tao", "controlling desire with the tao", this "happiness" is the pleasure of the "Tao", that is, "Dao music"; and the result of "letting go" (laissez-faire, indulging) is "enjoying its desire", "enjoying its desire" is also "forgetting the Tao with desire", and this "happiness" is the pleasure of lust, that is, "desire and pleasure".

The way of "Tao Le": First of all, in nature, it can be divided into two levels: the first level is to say that the "Tao" is a way of humane and moral relations, not a pure natural way, it is "humane" rather than "Heavenly Dao", and it is the way of "Ritual Music Indoctrination"; the second level is to say that the "Tao" of "Ritual Music Indoctrination" is a kind of social rationality, "etiquette is different", that is, through "etiquette and righteousness" to make society orderly, everyone has its own points, each has its own order, and each is at peace; "Music Contract", that is, through the "Voice of Yasong", to adjust people's life emotions, So that everyone can be happy and live in harmony. Relatively speaking, "ritual" refers more to external social norms, and "music" refers to inner emotional adjustment. The reason why the first kings made ceremonies and music is that rites and music have their own functions and values, and the lord of ceremonies is "divided", even if the society is orderly; the music lord is "harmonious", even if everyone coexists harmoniously.

Secondly, the "Tao" of "Daole" exists in two aspects, both internal and external: from the external aspect, the "Tao" is an external way of social enlightenment, which can guide and even educate people's life emotions from the external social ethical norms. Therefore, the voice and movement of "music" contain "Tao", that is, social ethics and moral norms, and their influence and direction have undergone fundamental changes, and guiding and indoctrinating them with the "voice of Ya song" will not make the "voice of Zheng Wei" flow and disturb, and the "evil and filthy atmosphere" will not arise. From the inner point of view, the "Tao" of "happiness" can penetrate the hearts of the people, but it must touch people's "kindness" in order to play the function of "enlightenment" in society. If a society relies only on "etiquette" for external norms, it may become an orderly and methodical society, but it will not become a harmonious, harmonious, and free society. "Happiness" is rooted in human life emotions, it can go deep into people's hearts, so that the joy of pleasure arises in emotions; but it must be implanted in emotions, in order to "move with affection", so that life emotions can obtain a kind of harmony, harmony, and freedom of happiness.

Xunzi elevated "happiness" to the height of "managing people's hearts" and transformed it into a conscious value concept, transforming it from an external social indoctrination into an internal emotional experience; and from an inner emotional experience to an external social indoctrination, guiding and guiding people's daily life and spiritual emotions. The indoctrination of "music" pays attention to the value effect of both outward-inward and outward transformation, which is a major contribution of Xunzi to Chinese music theory thought.

"Gagaku" and "Positive Sound" can achieve "neutralization"

Xun Zi believes, "Happy words are its sum also." (Xunzi Confucian Effect) "Li Zhi Jingwen Ye, Le Zhonghe Ya." On the negative side, the "harmony" of "happiness" is the dissolution of various opposing natures and links; on the positive side, "he" refers to the harmonious unity of various heterogeneous qualities, "Therefore, the musician, the great Qi of the world, and the jiya of neutralization." The so-called "Great Qi" refers to the complete harmony and unity of all things in heaven and earth, poetry and dance, and the emotions of life. "Neutralization" is the value concept of "music" to adjust the emotions of life, which is not only "can be good to the people's hearts, its touching is deep", which is beneficial to people to improve their personality cultivation and realize their perfect personality; it will also "change customs and customs, and the world is peaceful" to make the world stable.

The "Art of Lile" and "Harmony" of the previous kings are their eternal themes and value principles, which make the human relations between kings and subjects, fathers and sons, brothers, elders and children full of harmony at all times, places and everything, which can lead to long-term peace and stability in the world. The "joy" of "neutralization" makes life emotionally peaceful, solemn and solemn, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, and their reputation spread far and wide to the four seas as teachers, which is a sign of the "royal way".

"Happiness" is the emotional impulse of the place where life is rooted. For this impulse of life emotion, the "sound of Yasong", that is, "Yale", "positive sound" and "Zheng Wei's voice", that is, "evil sound" and "obscene sound", lead to different emotional "qi". "Yale" and "positive sound" produce "shun qi", "shun qi" leads to "good image", "good image" means that the appearance of "good phase" is in harmony with society; conversely, "evil sound" produces "reverse qi", "reverse qi" leads to "evil image", and "evil elephant" means "evil appearance" and social turmoil. Only by guiding the emotions of life with "yale", "positive sound" and "smooth breath", the emotional impulse of the place where life is deep can become a clear spring, flowing out calmly, comfortably, and peacefully, and the entrained "mud and sand",-which can easily lead to "evil sounds", "obscene sounds", "anti-qi", that is, blindness in emotional impulses, will naturally be eliminated.

"Gagaku" and "Zhengsheng" reach "Perfection"

In Xun Zi's view, the reason why "le" can reach the ideal realm of "perfection" in Confucius Confucianism is that from the content point of view, "le" has inherently contained the value elements of "beauty" and "goodness" in the creative process. Second, from the perspective of form, there are two paths to "happiness" and "beauty" and "goodness". The "beauty" of "happiness" is to enhance people's aesthetic literacy through the elements that make people happy and happy; the "goodness" of "music" is realized by cultivating people's moral sentiments. Third, from the functional point of view, the role of the "beauty" of "music" and the role of "good" society, its content, style, and form can "change customs and customs", and the "beauty" of "music" and "goodness" complement each other and promote each other.

If the "change of customs" of "music" can be divided into two levels: "implicit" and "explicit", then the "beauty" of "happiness" undoubtedly focuses on "explicitness", and the "goodness" of "happiness" is biased towards "hidden". The reason why "beauty" is obvious is because "music will come from sound, shape from movement." ("Xunzi Music Theory") Appreciate beautiful music through the forms of bells and drums, flutes and other forms, watch beautiful architectural literature through carvings and engravings, and enjoy the fragrance of the five flavors by tasting the rice beams, and the "beauty" of this explicit "music" requires both external edification ("into the ear") and inner emotional experience ("focusing on the heart"). "A gentleman who knows that he is not complete is not pure enough for beauty." (Xunzi Persuasion) This kind of "knowledge" that eliminates external materialistic disturbances is pure and exquisite. "The saint prepares the way, and the whole United States also, is the right name of the county (hanging) world." (Xunzi Zhengyi) Those who have reached this realm are the "all-American" and "great Confucians" in Xunzi's vision and the "saints" in the eyes of Zhou Gong and Confucius.

The "goodness" of "happiness" is mainly embodied in the cultivation of individual moral sentiments and the maintenance of harmony and stability in society as a whole. In the sense of social function, "music" is consistent with "etiquette", "benevolence and righteousness are also consistent". (Xunzi Dayu) However, one of the main purposes of the first king's "music" is to "know his virtue", that is, in the process of appreciating music, he must not be separated from the ears of moral sentiments. Through the performance of golden stone silk bamboo, he subtly accepts the influence of noble virtue. This is far different from the way "etiquette" plays a role through social norms and etiquette systems.

The "goodness" of "music" first opposes and rejects the "evil sounds" and "obscene voices," believing that this kind of "Zheng Wei's voice" that shakes emotions and deceives people's hearts is the "evil" of "music," which will only lead to people being kitsch and despicable, demonizing the masses, and eventually making it impossible for the people to live and work in peace and contentment, resulting in a weakening of national strength. Secondly, vigorously advocate "Yale" and "Zhengsheng", appreciate the "Sound of Yasong", and the high-pitched and agitated rhythm can make the warriors strictly disciplined, neatly ranked, and full of combat effectiveness when they fight; the gentle and peaceful melody can make the people advance and retreat with courtesy, give in moderation, and have a correct appearance. On the other hand, "Yale" and "Zhengsheng" can also dissolve people's moral confusion, suppress unreasonable materialistic temptations, and lead and educate the social and political order, ethical order, and life order with moral hearts. (Xunzi Music Theory)

Therefore, in Xunzi's case, "neutralization" is the path of "music" to "beauty" and "goodness"; and "goodness and beauty", that is, the complementarity and perfect unity of musical art and moral reason, is the ideological theme and ultimate realm of Xunzi's "Treatise on Music".

Xunzi's "Treatise on Music" is an important document of pre-Qin Confucius Confucianism, which not only inherits the philosophical wisdom contained in the content, form and style of "music" in the Yao Shun era, but also inherits classic texts such as "Shang Shu" and "Zuo Zhuan", especially Confucius's ideological connotation of "perfection and perfection" in music, which shows that early Confucianism continued an open, inclusive and rich spiritual tradition of liturgical music, which laid the foundation for the Ideal Construction of the Chinese nation's aesthetic connotation, indoctrination function and highest realm of music and art. In the era of the prosperity of music art and the increasingly extensive and in-depth influence of music and art, we should further explore and study XunZi's "Theory of Music", declare the main purpose and ideal realm of his thoughts, and actively advocate the value effect of "gagaku" and "zhengsheng"; while facing up to the mass entertainment function of music art, strengthen its social indoctrination functions such as "changing customs and customs", "managing people's hearts", "beautiful and good to enjoy each other", which has its practical value and far-reaching significance, whether it is the cultivation of personal perfect personality or the construction of a harmonious society.