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

Section 4: "Imagery of Sound and Music" as Self-Cultivation Theory

From the perspective of self-cultivation theory, the section on dance offers a method for achieving moral cultivation through bodily training.

"Not seeing oneself, not hearing oneself"—transcending self-consciousness. "Regulating rising/falling, bending/stretching, advancing/retreating, slowing/hastening"—standardizing bodily actions. "None lacks clear regulation"—achieving perfect self-discipline. "Exhausting the strength of sinew and bone"—full-body commitment. "No contrariness"—achieving flawless coordination. "The multitude accumulates intent, profoundly harmonious!"—achieving collective tranquility and harmony.

These six stages form a complete path of self-cultivation: moving from transcending self-consciousness (mental level), to standardizing bodily action (physical level), to achieving self-discipline (character level), to full commitment (attitudinal level), to realizing group coordination (social level), to achieving a state of harmonious tranquility (ultimate attainment).

This path of cultivation is unique because it is body-centric—cultivation is achieved not just through reading and contemplation (though Xunzi valued learning) but through physical training and the practice of dance. The ordering of the body is the ordering of the heart—when the body achieves "clear regulation," the heart also reaches a state of "regulation."

This reflects the pre-Qin concept of the "unity of body and mind" ($\text{shēn xīn hé yī}$) in self-cultivation—cultivating the body is cultivating the mind, and cultivating the mind is cultivating the body. Sound and music—especially dance—provide the optimal means for cultivating both body and mind simultaneously.