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: Zhuangzi's "Three Sounds": Terrestrial Sound, Human Sound, and Heavenly Sound

Master Zhuangzi’s discussion of music is most brilliantly articulated in the "Discussion on Making Things Equal" ($\text{Qí Wù Lùn}$), through the concept of the "Three Sounds" ($\text{sān lài}$):

"Zi You asked the Lord of the Frontier Gate ($\text{Zǐ Qí}$): 'The terrestrial sound ($\text{dì lài}$) is the myriad orifices of nature. The human sound ($\text{rén lài}$) is the bamboo pipes. Dare I ask about the Heavenly Sound ($\text{tiān lài}$)$13' The Lord of the Frontier Gate replied: 'The wind blows through ten thousand different things, each making its own sound. They all take what is their own; who is angry$14'"

This dialogue structures itself as follows:

• Human Sound ($\text{rén lài}$): The sound produced by humans blowing through bamboo pipes. This is human-made music.
• Terrestrial Sound ($\text{dì lài}$): The sound produced when wind blows through the "myriad orifices" (holes) of the Earth. This is natural acoustic sound.
• Heavenly Sound ($\text{tiān lài}$): "The wind blows through ten thousand different things, each making its own sound. They all take what is their own; who is angry$15" Heavenly Sound is not a specific sound but the fundamental force ("Dao") that causes all things to sound naturally, each according to its nature.

From the perspective of Zhuangzi’s "Three Sounds," Xunzi’s "Imagery of Sound and Music" can be understood as: using "Human Sound" ($\text{rén lài}$) to emulate "Terrestrial Sound" ($\text{dì lài}$) and strive toward "Heavenly Sound" ($\text{tiān lài}$). The drum resembling Heavenly Thunder is using human music to imitate the thunder in the terrestrial soundscape. The bell resembling Earth is using human music to imitate the sound of the Earth. Ultimately, "Dance combines the intent of the Dao of Heaven" ($\text{wǔ yì tiān dào jiān}$) is an attempt to approach the ultimate state of "Heavenly Sound" ($\text{tiān lài}$).

However, Zhuangzi might reserve judgment on Xunzi’s endeavor. The essence of Zhuangzi’s point is that the best "music" is not achievable through human effort—"They all take what is their own" ($\text{xián qí zì qǔ}$), things sound naturally without artificial arrangement. The best music is not the sound produced by man-made instruments but the Heavenly Sound ($\text{tiān lài}$).

This divergence reveals the fundamental difference between Confucian and Daoist approaches to "artifice" ($\text{wěi}$):

Confucianism (Xunzi): Artifice ($\text{wěi}$) is good—"transforming nature and cultivating artifice" ($\text{huà xìng qǐ wěi}$). The "Imagery of Sound and Music" is a cultural order consciously constructed by the Sages based on their perception of natural qualities.

Daoism (Zhuangzi): Artifice is superfluous—"they all take what is their own" ($\text{xián qí zì qǔ}$). The best "music" is not man-made but the natural sound produced by all things, the Heavenly Sound.

This tension highlights the deepest philosophical question in pre-Qin musical discourse: Is man-made music a natural development of nature, or is it a distortion of nature$16