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

Section 7: "Xun and Chi are Expansive and Ample" ($\text{xūn chí wēng bó}$) — The Breadth of Earthly Instruments

"The xūn and chí are expansive and ample" ($\text{xūn chí wēng bó}$)—This states the quality of the xūn and chí instruments is "expansive and ample" ($\text{wēng bó}$).

The character "expansive/old" ($\text{wēng}$) here is often equated with "瓮" (wèng, jar) or "buzzing" (wēng), describing a sound that is deep, full, and continuously reverberating, like the sound emanating from a large jar. It can also be interpreted as "dignified and voluminous" ($\text{yōng róng}$), implying a sound that is steady and full, neither rushed nor impatient. Both interpretations converge on the sound being deep and substantial.

The character "ample/broad" ($\text{bó}$) means extensive or comprehensive. The "breadth" ($\text{bó}$) of the sound refers to its wide range and deep timbre, possessing a character capable of embracing all things.

Combining "Expansive/Old" ($\text{wēng}$) and "Ample" ($\text{bó}$), the sound of the xūn and chí is deep and reverberating, yet broad and inclusive.

The xūn is made of fired clay, hollow, with a blowing hole and finger holes. Its sound is extremely unique—low, deep, slightly husky, carrying a sense of vast, distant melancholy, like the breath of the earth or an echo from antiquity. This sound is the most "archaic" among all instruments, with the least ornamentation or superficial brilliance, yet it most profoundly touches the deepest emotions of the heart.

The chí is a bamboo transverse flute, closed at one end, producing a sound that is also relatively deep and rich, softer and more reserved than the flute (dí).

Why are xūn and chí grouped together as "expansive and ample" ($\text{wēng bó}$)$20 From the material perspective, the xūn is made of earth, and the chí of bamboo; from the structural perspective, the xūn is egg-shaped and hollow, while the chí is a tube closed at one end. Despite different materials and forms, why do they share the quality of "expansive and ample" ($\text{wēng bó}$)$21

The answer lies in their common characteristic: both are wind instruments with closed or semi-closed structures. The xūn is essentially a sealed hollow body (with only finger/blowing holes), and the chí is a closed tube. This structure allows the air current to vibrate fully inside the vessel, producing a deep, rich timbre. Compared to open-tube instruments (like the flute or guǎn) whose sounds are bright and soaring, the xūn and chí sounds are more reserved, introverted, deep, and substantial, hence described as "expansive and ample" ($\text{wēng bó}$).

The character "ample/broad" ($\text{bó}$) holds particular significance. Xunzi, On Self-Cultivation states: "Hearing much is called breadth ($\text{bó}$)." The Analects, in the chapter Zi Han ($\text{Zǐ Hán}$), records Master Kong’s saying:

"Expand me with culture ($\text{wén}$), and restrict me with ritual ($\text{lǐ}$)."

"Breadth" ($\text{bó}$) means extensive and inclusive. Why is the sound of the xūn and chí considered "ample" ($\text{bó}$)$22 Because their sound is deep and substantial, lacking sharpness or aggression, possessing a capacity to embrace everything. Like the vastness of the Earth that accommodates all things, the sound of the xūn and chí can integrate with the sounds of other instruments without asserting itself or suppressing others, serving as a deep foundation that supports the ensemble.

The xūn and chí are often mentioned together in pre-Qin poetry. The Book of Odes, Minor Odes of the Kingdom, Hé Rén Sī ($\text{Hé Rén Sī}$), states:

"The elder brother plays the xūn, the second brother plays the chí." ($\text{Bó shì chuī xūn, zhòng shì chuī chí}$)

The pairing of "xun and chi" symbolizes fraternal harmony (later, "the affection of xūn and chí" refers to brotherly affection). Why can the xūn and chí symbolize brotherhood$23 Precisely because their sounds are both "expansive and ample" ($\text{wēng bó}$)—deep, broad, and inclusive—which is the virtue that should exist between brothers: being broad-minded and tolerant toward others, accommodating differences, and jointly supporting the harmony of the lineage.