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: 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.