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: "The Multitude Accumulates Intent, Profoundly Harmonious!" ($\text{zhòng jī yì zhōng zhōng hū}$)! — The Ultimate State of Group Harmony

"The multitude accumulates intent, profoundly harmonious!" ($\text{zhòng jī yì zhōng zhōng hū}$)!—This sentence concludes the passage with an exclamation, reaching the climax of the entire section.

"Multitude" ($\text{zhòng}$): The masses of dancers, the entire body of participants.

"Accumulates Intent" ($\text{jī yì}$): The intent accumulated through effort. The character "accumulate" ($\text{jī}$) is extremely important in Xunzi’s thought. Xunzi: Exhortation to Learning ($\text{Quàn Xué}$) states:

"Accumulate soil to make a mountain, and winds and rains arise; accumulate water to make an abyss, and dragons and serpents emerge; accumulate goodness to make virtue, and the spiritual mind is spontaneously attained, and the Sage’s heart is complete."

"Accumulate" ($\text{jī}$) is a process of moving from little to much, from shallow to deep. "The multitude accumulates intent" ($\text{zhòng jī yì}$) refers to the deep and rich consensus achieved by the many dancers through long-term training and repeated accumulation—a synergy that transcends mere words.

"Profoundly Harmonious!" ($\text{zhōng zhōng hū}$): $\text{Zhōng zhōng}$ is an iterative compound word describing a state of harmony that is calm, measured, and unhurried. This couplet evokes a sense of peace, tranquility, and profound well-being.

The entire sentence means: The state of collective intention achieved by the dancers through long-term, accumulated training is so profoundly peaceful and harmonious!

This concluding exclamation pushes the passage to an emotional peak. Xunzi is not merely analyzing the technique of dance but expressing genuine admiration for the aesthetic beauty of group harmony presented in dance. This beauty is not just visual or auditory, but also moral and spiritual—it is a microcosm of the highest cultural achievement possible through "transforming nature and cultivating artifice" ($\text{huà xìng qǐ wěi}$).

The emphasis on "multitude" ($\text{zhòng}$) in "the multitude accumulates intent" ($\text{zhòng jī yì}$) highlights the collective over the individual. Xunzi’s focus is consistently on overall social harmony, not individual freedom or liberation—a sharp contrast to Zhuangzi. Xunzi: The Kingly Way states:

"Why can men form groups ($\text{qún}$)$38 Because they have distinctions ($\text{fēn}$). Why can distinctions be implemented$39 Because they have righteousness ($\text{yì}$)."

The reason people form groups is due to "distinctions" (social divisions and hierarchies); these "distinctions" can be implemented because of "righteousness" (legitimacy and moral constraint). The group harmony in dance is the most vivid manifestation of this ideal social state—the multitude works together in coordination, each having their role and action, ultimately achieving a state of natural, peaceful harmony.