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

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.