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

Section 6: "Guan and Yue Emit Fierceness" ($\text{guǎn yuè fā měng}$) — The Fierceness of Tube Instruments

"The guǎn and yuè emit fierceness" ($\text{guǎn yuè fā měng}$)—This states the quality of the guǎn and yuè wind instruments is "emitting fierceness" ($\text{fā měng}$).

The character "emit" ($\text{fā}$) means to inspire, stimulate, or set in motion. The character "fierceness" ($\text{měng}$) means vehemence, strength, or spirited exertion. Combined, "emitting fierceness" ($\text{fā měng}$) means their sound is vigorous and resolute, stirring the human spirit.

The guǎn is a single-pipe instrument, typically made of bamboo, blown either straight or across the embouchure, producing a high, sharp, penetrating sound. The yuè is also a bamboo wind instrument; the Erya ($\text{Ěryǎ}$, an ancient glossary) identifies the yuè as a three-holed flute. The sound of the guǎn and yuè, compared to the "harmony" ($\text{hé}$) of the yú, shēng, and xiāo, is simpler, more direct, and more soaring. Because they are single-pipe instruments (or few-piped), not multi-piped like the shēng, their sound is more focused and sharp, possessing a penetrating quality.

Why are they described as "emitting fierceness" ($\text{fā měng}$)$17 "Emit" ($\text{fā}$) is like "to develop" or "to launch"—the sound soars high and travels far, possessing strong penetrative power; "Fierceness" ($\text{měng}$) is like "vehement" or "powerful"—the sound is resolute and strong, stirring the human will.

The function of the guǎn and yuè in the ensemble is precisely to "emit fierceness" ($\text{fā měng}$): amidst the deep resonance of the drum, the substance of the bell, the crispness of the chime stone, and the harmony of the shēng and yú, the guǎn and yuè interject with their high-pitched, sharp sounds, like a general’s horn in the army, invigorating the spirit and stimulating resolution.

The Book of Odes, Greater Hymns of Zhou ($\text{Zhōu Sòng}$), Yǒu Gǔ ($\text{Yǒu Gǔ}$), states:

"When the rites are prepared, then begin the performance; the xiāo and guǎn are raised together." ($\text{Xiāo guǎn bèi jǔ}$)

"The xiāo and guǎn are raised together" shows that the guǎn held an important position even in the ancestral temple music of the pre-Qin period.

Furthermore, the Book of Odes, Airs of Bei ($\text{Bèi Fēng}$), Jiǎn Xī ($\text{Jiǎn Xī}$), states:

"In the left hand, holding the yuè; in the right, grasping the pheasant tail feathers ($\text{dí}$)." ($\text{Zuǒ shǒu zhí yuè, yòu shǒu bǐng dí}$)

This describes a dance poem; the dancer holds the yuè in the left hand and pheasant feathers in the right, showing that the yuè was not only used for playing but also held as a ritual implement during dance, possessing a ceremonial function.

The term "emitting fierceness" ($\text{fā měng}$) resonates with the later cosmic correspondence: "The yú, shēng, xiāo, guǎn, and yuè resemble the stars, the sun, and the moon." The brilliance of the stars and the sun is precisely "fiercely emitted" ($\text{fā měng}$)—their light radiates powerfully, piercing the darkness and illuminating all directions. The sound of the guǎn and yuè is like the light of the sun and moon, soaring high and far, rousing the human heart.

We must ask: why are the yú, shēng, xiāo separated from the guǎn and yuè$18 They are all wind instruments; why such different qualities$19

The answer lies in the structural differences of the instruments. The yú, shēng, and xiāo (panpipe) are "multi-pipe" instruments; the simultaneous sounding of multiple pipes naturally produces the quality of "harmony" ($\text{hé}$). The guǎn and yuè are "single-pipe" instruments (or few-piped); the single pipe produces sound independently, naturally resulting in the quality of "fierce emission" ($\text{fā měng}$). "Multi" leads to "harmony"; "single" leads to "fierceness"—this is a quality determined by the instrument's intrinsic structure, not an arbitrarily assigned quality. Xunzi’s "Imagery of Sound and Music" is a precise capture of these natural qualities.

This distinction also contains profound social philosophy. "Harmony" ($\text{hé}$) is the virtue of the collective—many people coordinating, like the multi-pipe resonance of the shēng and yú. "Fierce Emission" ($\text{fā měng}$) is the virtue of the individual—a single person striving vigorously, like the single-pipe assertion of the guǎn and yuè. Society requires both collective harmony and individual vigor; neither can be dispensed with.