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

Chapter Eight: The Cosmology of Acoustic Imagery: The Acoustic Dimension of Pre-Qin Cosmology

Section 1: The Basic Framework of Pre-Qin Cosmology

The basic framework of pre-Qin cosmology can be summarized in the following aspects:

Heaven and Earth Theory ($\text{Tiān Dì Lùn}$): The fundamental structure of the cosmos is Heaven and Earth. Heaven is above, Earth is below; all things exist between them. Heaven’s qualities are vigor, movement, hardness, and brightness; Earth’s qualities are compliance, stillness, softness, and darkness. The circulation of Yin and Yang between Heaven and Earth produces the four seasons and the myriad things.

The Yijing, Great Treatise ($\text{Xì Cí}$), First Part, states:

"Heaven is esteemed and Earth is lowly, thus Qian and Kun are established. Lowliness and height delineate what is distinguished; what is noble and what is base is thereby determined. Movement and stillness have a constant pattern; hardness and softness are thereby distinguished. Things gather by similarity, and kinds separate by their distinctions, thus fortune and misfortune arise. When established in Heaven, they become imagery ($\text{xiàng}$); when formed on Earth, they become form ($\text{xíng}$); the transformations are thereby revealed."

This passage is the general outline of pre-Qin cosmology. Heaven esteemed, Earth lowly—the basic order of the cosmos. Movement and stillness have a constant pattern—the basic operation of the cosmos. Imagery in Heaven, Form on Earth—the basic mode of cosmic presentation.

Yin-Yang Theory: All things can be described by the duality of Yin and Yang. Yang is Heaven, brightness, movement, hardness, heat, above, outer, masculine... Yin is Earth, darkness, stillness, softness, cold, below, inner, feminine... Yin and Yang are not two separate entities but a pair of descriptive categories for the qualities of things.

"One Yin and one Yang is called the Dao." (Yijing, Great Treatise)

The alternation of Yin and Yang is the "Dao."

Five Phases Theory ($\text{Wǔ Xíng Lùn}$): The operation of the myriad things can be described by five elements (or five forces): Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These five phases have generative and overcoming relationships: Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood; Wood overcomes Earth, Earth overcomes Water, Water overcomes Fire, Fire overcomes Metal, Metal overcomes Wood. The Five Phases correspond to the four seasons, the five directions, the five colors, the five tastes, and the five notes, forming a vast corresponding system.

Qi Theory: The essence of all things is qi (vital energy). The condensation of qi forms tangible things; the dissipation of qi forms the formless. Qi is differentiated into clear and turbid—the clear qi rises to form Heaven; the turbid qi sinks to form Earth.

"Essence ($\text{jīng}$) is the essence of qi. When the Dao of qi arises, it generates the five grains below and forms the array of stars above." (Guanzi, Nei Ye)

Xunzi’s system of corresponding instruments to the cosmos—the "Imagery of Sound and Music"—is constructed within this cosmological framework.

Section 2: Correspondence Logic: Instruments, Heaven and Earth, Myriad Things

Master Xunzi corresponds musical instruments to Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things through several layers of logic:

Material Correspondence: The materials of musical instruments originate in nature, establishing a natural link with natural elements. Leather comes from animals, which live between Heaven and Earth—the drum made of leather produces a sound like Heaven’s thunder. Metal comes from underground ore—the bell cast of metal produces a sound like Earth’s substance. Stone is a natural mineral, and water flows over stone—the chime stone is made of stone, its sound like the clarity of water. Bamboo, wood, and gourd grow on Earth—wind instruments made of these materials produce sounds like the brightness of the stars, sun, and moon.

Qualitative Correspondence: The sonic quality of the instrument corresponds to the quality of the natural element. Grand and beautiful ($\text{dà lì}$) — the quality of Heaven; Comprehensive and substantial ($\text{tǒng shí}$) — the quality of Earth; Pure and regulated ($\text{lián zhì}$) — the quality of Water. This correspondence is not arbitrary comparison but based on shared characteristics.

Functional Correspondence: The role of an instrument in the ensemble mirrors the function of a cosmic element in the universe. The drum governs the whole—like Heaven covering all things; the bell bears the foundation—like Earth supporting all things; the chime stone marks turning points—like Water mediating between Heaven and Earth.

Numerical Correspondence: The main cosmic elements are the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, Water), plus the fine details of the stars/sun/moon (Heaven’s details) and the myriad things (Earth’s details). The main instruments are the Drum, Bell, and Chime Stone (the three primary sound sources), plus the melodic wind instruments (wind instruments) and the small instruments (auxiliary instruments). The structure of the two sets is analogous.

The philosophical presupposition behind this system is: The structure of the cosmos and the structure of human affairs are isomorphic. Or more precisely: human affairs (including sound and music) are a microcosm of the cosmos. Man, existing between Heaven and Earth, inevitably reflects the cosmic structure in all his creative activities. Sound and music, as one of humanity’s most significant creative activities, naturally map the order of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things.

The Yijing, Great Treatise, Second Part, states:

"In antiquity, when the Lord of the Five Classics ($\text{Bāo Xī}$ Fuxi) reigned over the world, he looked upward to observe the imagery ($\text{xiàng}$) in Heaven, and looked downward to observe the models ($\text{fǎ}$) on Earth. He observed the patterns of birds and beasts and the suitability of the Earth. He took lessons from his own person and drew far from external things. Thus he first established the Eight Trigrams, to communicate the virtue of the spiritual light ($\text{shén míng zhī dé}$) and to correspond to the feelings ($\text{qíng}$) of the myriad things."

The method of Fuxi—"looking upward," "looking downward," "taking lessons from oneself," and "drawing from external things"—is precisely the method Xunzi uses to construct the correspondence between instruments and the cosmos. The Sage observes the qualities of Heaven and Earth (upward gaze at Heaven’s grandeur, downward gaze at Earth’s substance), takes lessons from the human body (song’s purity, dance’s encompassing Dao), and draws from external things (Water’s regulation, stars’ fierceness), and then establishes the system of sound and music—this is the application of "communicating the virtue of the spiritual light and corresponding to the feelings of the myriad things" in the realm of music.

Section 3: Five Notes, Twelve Pitches, and Yin and Yang

Although Xunzi’s "Imagery of Sound and Music" does not directly address the Five Notes ($\text{wǔ shēng}$—palace, horn, angle, beam, wing) or the Twelve Pitches ($\text{shí èr lǜ}$—Huang Zhong, Da Lü, Tai Cu, etc.), these concepts hold immense importance in pre-Qin cosmology and must be discussed.

The correspondence between the Five Notes and the Five Phases, Five Directions, Five Colors, and Five Tastes is recorded in various pre-Qin texts. Guanzi, Five Phases ($\text{Wǔ Xíng}$), states:

"Palace note moves the Spleen, Horn note moves the Lungs, Angle note moves the Liver, Beam note moves the Heart, Wing note moves the Kidneys."

The Five Notes correspond to the five viscera of the human body. Lüshi Chunqiu ($\text{Lǚ Shì Chūn Qiū}$), Twelve Records ($\text{Shí Èr Jì}$), links the Five Notes to the Four Seasons: Palace is the central note, Horn is the spring note, Beam is the summer note, Horn is the autumn note, Wing is the winter note.

This correspondence system runs parallel to Xunzi’s mapping of instruments to the cosmos. Xunzi’s correspondence is at the level of instrument material and quality corresponding to the elements of Heaven and Earth. The Five Notes/Twelve Pitches correspondence is at the level of pitch height corresponding to Yin-Yang, the Five Phases, and the twelve months. Both systems construct a comprehensive linkage between sound and the structure and operation of the universe.

The correspondence between the Twelve Pitches and the Twelve Months is particularly precise. Lüshi Chunqiu aligns each of the twelve pitches with one of the twelve months:

"First month of Spring... its note is Horn, the pitch is Tai Cu."

The twelve pitches correspond to the twelve months, forming a complete temporal-pitch system. Each month has a specific pitch played to correspond to the qi of that month. The presupposition behind this system is that pitch height and time share an isomorphic structure—the cycle of the year is mirrored by the cycle of the pitches.

Taken together, the pre-Qin correspondence between sound/music and the cosmos operates on at least three levels:

1. Instrumental Level: Xunzi’s "Imagery of Sound and Music," mapping instrument materials and qualities to Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things.
2. Pitch Level: The Five Notes and Twelve Pitches, mapping pitch height to Yin-Yang, the Five Phases, and the twelve months.
3. Rhythmic Level: The tempo of the music (fast/slow, strong/weak, start/stop) corresponding to the operation of Heaven and Earth (day/night, waxing/waning, birth/death).

These three levels combine to form a complete "Acoustic Cosmology"—sound and music comprehensively map the structure and operation of the cosmos. This is the concrete meaning of "Great Music corresponds in harmony with Heaven and Earth" ($\text{dà yuè yǔ tiān dì tóng hé}$).

Section 4: Music as "Harmony" ($\text{hé}$) — A Cosmology of Concord

"Harmony" ($\text{hé}$) is the core concept shared by both cosmological theory and music theory in the pre-Qin period.

The character "harmony" ($\text{hé}$) has multiple meanings in pre-Qin texts, but its core meaning is: a harmonious state achieved when different elements cooperate and coordinate. This meaning was thoroughly established by Scholar Shi Bo’s statement ("to equalize the different is called harmony") and Yanzi’s discourse (clarity/turbidity, large/small, etc., "complement each other").

In cosmology, "harmony" ($\text{hé}$) is the fundamental principle that allows Heaven, Earth, and all things to exist and function. Heaven and Earth—the supreme and the base—are "in harmony" ($\text{xiāng hé}$), and thus the myriad things are born. Yin and Yang—the softest and the hardest—are "in harmony" ($\text{xiāng hé}$), and thus the four seasons proceed. Water and Fire—the coldest and the hottest—are "in harmony" ($\text{xiāng hé}$), and thus life is transformed.

The Yijing, Qian Trigram, Tuan Zhuan states:

"The transformation of the Qian Dao creates the correct nature and destiny of each thing, preserving and uniting in Great Harmony ($\text{bǎo hé tài hé}$), thus benefiting and remaining correct. It brings forth the myriad things, and all nations are at peace."

"Preserving and uniting in Great Harmony" ($\text{bǎo hé tài hé}$) is the highest state of cosmic harmony—where Heaven and Earth, the myriad things, each find their proper place, fulfill their nature, and cooperate to form a coherent, harmonious whole.

In music theory, "harmony" ($\text{hé}$) is likewise the core principle. The twelve qualities described in "The Imagery of Sound and Music"—grand beauty, substantiality, regulation, harmony, fierceness, ampleness, goodness, femininity, purity, and comprehensive intent—form a system of "harmony" ($\text{hé}$). They represent the harmony of hard and soft, large and small, clear and turbid, fierce and ample, external and internal, part and whole. The coordination of these twelve different qualities constitutes a complete and rich musical picture.

This "harmony" in music extends beyond the interplay of different instruments to the harmony between sound and Heaven and Earth—"Great Music corresponds in harmony with Heaven and Earth." When the instruments in an ensemble achieve perfect coordination, this coordination itself is a microcosm of cosmic harmony—because the inherent qualities of the instruments correspond to the inherent qualities of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things, the harmony achieved in the music is a human mapping of the harmony existing in the universe.

This is the ultimate implication of "The Imagery of Sound and Music": sound and music are not merely human artistic creations but the audible manifestation of cosmic harmony. Through sound and music, man participates in cosmic harmony—as a listener, a participant, and ultimately, a creator.