The Image of Music and Sound in Xunzi's 'On Music': A Study of Character, Cosmos, and the Cultivation of Rites and Music

Section 1: Why Does Sound and Music Require "Imagery" ($\text{xiàng}$)$3

First Question: Why does sound and music require "imagery" ($\text{xiàng}$)$4 Is not the beauty of sound and music directly perceptible$5 Why must we use language to describe its "imagery"—its qualities$6

This question touches upon the fundamental relationship between experience and language.

The beauty of sound and music is indeed directly felt—hearing the drum inspires reverence, hearing the bell brings stability, hearing the wind instruments inspires vigor. These do not require the mediation of language. Yet, Xunzi insists on using precise terms like "grandly beautiful" ($\text{dà lì}$), "comprehensively substantial" ($\text{tǒng shí}$), and "pure and regulated" ($\text{lián zhì}$) to describe these experiences. Why$7

Because Xunzi's goal is not merely to "feel" the beauty of music but to "understand" it—to elevate sensory experience to rational knowledge. Pure sensory experience is vague, personal, and incommunicable; rational knowledge is clear, public, and transmissible. By naming things with "imagery" ($\text{xiàng}$) and describing them with language, Xunzi elevates the aesthetic experience of music to a rational understanding, making it discussable, judgeable, and inheritable.

This aligns perfectly with the intent of "Rectifying Names" ($\text{zhèng míng}$): "A name is that by which we designate and accumulate substance ($\text{shí}$)." The "substance" ($\text{shí}$) of music is its acoustic quality; the "name" ($\text{míng}$) is the descriptive term ($\text{dà lì}$, $\text{tǒng shí}$, etc.). With these "names," people can "designate" (distinguish) the different qualities of various instruments and "accumulate" (transmit) this knowledge. Without these "images," there would be no standard to judge the good or bad of music, and no basis for the training of musicians.