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

Section 2: Bells and Earth Deities — Origins of Metal and Stone in Sacrifice

The bell’s "resemblance to Earth" ($\text{sì dì}$) also has deep roots in ancient culture.

Metal (copper, tin) is mined from underground. The invention of metallurgy was considered a world-altering event in antiquity. Guanzi ($\text{Guǎn Zǐ}$), Measuring Out ($\text{Kuí Dù}$), states:

"The mountain of Gelu erupted, and water followed. Chi You received it and forged it, making swords, armor, spears, and halberds."

The smelting of metals and the forging of weapons were linked in myth to culture heroes like Chi You. Metal extracted from the earth and refined into metal objects—the bell is formed from the essence of the Earth, artificially transformed. The bell is an artifact of Earth’s essence.

The Discourses of the States ($\text{Guó Yǔ}$), in the "Discourse of Zhou, Second Part" ($\text{Zhōu Yǔ Xià}$), records the musician Ling Zhoujiu discussing music:

"Metal and stone move them; silk and bamboo guide them; poetry expresses them; song chants them; gourd preaches them; clay supports them; leather and wood regulate them."

"Metal and stone move them" ($\text{jīn shí yǐ dòng zhī}$)—Metal (bell) and stone (chime stone) serve to "move" (initiate, propel) the music, ranking first among the instruments. The reverence for metal and stone stems from the rarity of their materials and the difficulty of their production—casting bells required advanced metallurgy and vast resources of copper and tin, unaffordable to minor lords. Thus, the bell was a "heavy vessel" ($\text{zhòng qì}$), spoken of alongside the tripod, symbolizing state authority.

The use of bells in sacrifices, especially to Earth deities ($\text{dì qì}$), is well-documented in pre-Qin texts. Rites of Zhou, Office of Music: Grand Master, records:

"Then they played the Yellow Bell ($\text{huáng zhōng}$), chanted the Great Lü ($\text{dà lǚ}$), and danced Yunmen, to sacrifice to the celestial spirits. Then they played the Tai Cu ($\text{tài cù}$), chanted the Answering Bell ($\text{yìng zhōng}$), and danced Xian Chi, to sacrifice to the Earth deities ($\text{jì dì shì}$)."

Sacrificing to the Earth deities ($\text{dì shì}$) involved playing the "Answering Bell" ($\text{yìng zhōng}$), using specific bell tunings. The close association between bell sounds and the rites for Earth spirits provides the cultural background for the bell "resembling Earth" ($\text{sì dì}$).

From the perspective of acoustic quality, the bell's deep and lingering sound possesses the aura of "Earth." Earth’s quality is depth, stability, and permanence. The bell sound is similar. The drum sound is grand but brief; the chime stone is crisp but fleeting. Only the bell is rich and sustained, with a resonance that can last for tens of seconds or more, like the unchanging nature of the Earth.

From a physical standpoint, metal possesses excellent resonance and ductility, making the bell’s sound exceptionally full and rounded. This sense of "fullness" matches Earth’s "deep virtue of carrying burdens" ($\text{hòu dé zài wù}$)—Earth carries all things with its substance; the bell carries the entire sonic spectrum of the ensemble with its substantial sound.