The Beauty of the Three Dynasties Condensed into a Single Chapter: A Deep Interpretation of "Yan Yuan Asking about Governing the State" in the Analects of Confucius, Weilinggong
This article provides a rigorous analysis of the "Yan Yuan wen weibang" passage in the *Analects*, examining Confucius’s political pedagogy—centered on the calendar of the Xia, the carriage of the Shang, the ceremonial cap of the Zhou, and the music of Shao—as a synthesis of the essential wisdom of the Three Dynasties. By situating these practices within the broader framework of Confucian statecraft, the study elucidates the idealized civilizational paradigm of the tradition and the enduring philosophical significance of its transmission.
Chapter Five: For Music, Use the Shao Dance—The Music of Ultimate Goodness and the Harmony of Heaven and Earth
1. What is Shao Music$39
The Master’s fourth answer was "For music, use the Shao dance." Shao is the music of the legendary Emperor Shun. In pre-Qin classics, Shao music was considered the highest model of musical art.
The Master once heard Shao in the state of Qi and for three months did not know the taste of meat. He exclaimed: "I did not expect that music could reach such a state."
He famously evaluated Shao as "perfectly beautiful and also perfectly good," whereas the music of King Wu was "perfectly beautiful but not perfectly good."
Why was the music of King Wu not "perfectly good"$40 Because it expressed the act of conquest—King Wu overthrowing the Yin Dynasty. Even if it was an act of a righteous ruler punishing a tyrant, it still relied on force, containing violence and war. Shao music expressed Emperor Shun’s moral transformation of the world and the peaceful transfer of power—containing no violence, only the manifestation of virtue.
2. The Inner Meaning of Shao Music
"Perfectly beautiful and perfectly good" is one of the most important concepts in Chinese aesthetic history. This evaluation reveals the Master's fundamental requirement for art: the unity of beauty and goodness.
What is "beauty"$41 It is sensory pleasure and structural perfection. What is "goodness"$42 It is moral correctness.
Shao music reached this because its content—Emperor Shun’s virtue—was inherently "perfectly good," and its artistic performance was "perfectly beautiful."
3. Why Music in the Strategy of "Governing a State"$43
In pre-Qin thought, music was not simple entertainment but the core tool of education.
Liji: Yueji says: "Music is the harmony of Heaven and Earth; Ritual is the order of Heaven and Earth." Music is the externalization of the human heart. If the music of an era is peaceful and joyful, its government is harmonious; if the music is full of resentment and anger, its government is chaotic; if the music is sorrowful and grieving, its people are distressed.
Choosing the right music—Shao music—is laying the correct tone for the state’s spiritual and cultural foundation.