PureInsight | January 24, 2026
[PureInsight.org] After the Eastern Zhou period, the Chinese heartland saw the rise of competing feudal states. Social harmony collapsed, and warfare became incessant. This was the era Confucius described as one of the “collapse of rites and the decay of music.” But what, then, was “music” like before it fell into decay?
From the time of the Yellow Emperor, when ritual and music first emerged, yayue (court ritual music) existed with a distinct mission. Its ideal was to shape harmonious individuals and a harmonious society through harmonious sound. At that time, music was not— or was only rarely— used for entertainment. Rather, it functioned as a medium connecting Heaven, Earth, and humanity, and as a ritual instrument for maintaining social hierarchy and harmony.
In ancient China, the ancestors sought to understand the laws governing the universe in order to receive Heaven’s protection. Thus, court ritual music—a form of communication transcending language—came into being. According to legend, musical works such as the Yellow Emperor’s Xianchi, Emperor Ku’s Wuying, Yao’s Dazhang, and Shun’s Dashao were all codes for communication between the sages and Heaven and Earth.
When Confucius heard the Dashao music in the state of Qi, he was so deeply moved that “for three months he did not know the taste of meat,” praising it as “perfectly beautiful and perfectly good.” This shows that the original intention of Court Ritual Music was the harmonious unity of “beauty” and “goodness.” Its aim was the purification of the soul and the affirmation of order, not the stimulation of bodily pleasure.
By contrast, the decadent music that arose after the Eastern Zhou was saturated with human passions and desires, encouraging self-indulgence. Such “corrupt music,” exemplified by the Music of Zheng and the Music of Wei, lost the solemnity and elegance of Court Ritual Music and became fashionable entertainment at aristocratic banquets.
Confucius lamented this deeply, declaring that “the music of Zheng is licentious.” In terms of pitch and structure, Zheng music departed from proper tonal principles, spanning three octaves. It was not music of balance and harmony: at times excessively strident and impassioned, at others despondent and drifting, it deviated from the central, tranquil aesthetic standards of Court Ritual Music. Such music not only disturbed the human mind but also undermined social order and moral norms. The licentiousness of Zheng music was also evident in the misuse of musical instruments. Liu Xi wrote in Shiming · Explanation of Musical Instruments: “The Konghou (a kind of Zither) was created by Shi Yan as decadent music.” The Konghou was thus regarded as an instrument used for decadent music and was employed in the sounds of Zheng and Wei. Ji Kang, one of the famed Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, also wrote in On the Absence of Sentiment in Music: “As for the music of Zheng, it represents the utmost subtlety of sound. Sublime sounds move people as beautiful women bewitch the will; indulgence in wine and pleasure easily leads to the ruin of one’s life and career.” He believed that although Zheng music was exquisitely beautiful, it was as dangerously seductive as physical beauty and difficult to resist.
This is precisely like the various forms of popular music that are fervently idolized in today’s society. One male singer who is extremely famous in mainland China writes and performs many of his own songs, yet many of their melodies are saturated with emotion and sensuality. Listeners become completely immersed, swept into a trance by the tunes and lyrics, convinced that they themselves are the unparalleled “king of love” portrayed in the music. His fans span two generations, from youth to old age, and follow him nationwide with tireless enthusiasm. Some even burst into tears the moment the singer steps onto the stage.
Such influence intoxicates and poisons the mind, keeping people constantly immersed in improper fantasies, endlessly indulging in the illusory beauty of romantic and sexual love.
There is such a fan among people around me. She lives alone, far from her parents, and spends all her money on altering her appearance. Every day she fantasizes about meeting a Prince Charming and about turning the imaginings stirred by songs and melodies into reality. Her life is hollow and deeply tragic: hollow in song, tragic in reality. Yet this mode of living is alarmingly common among young people today.
Imagine if the masses were to sink deeply into emptiness and decadence, excessively inflating the self—lacking any sense of responsibility or shame, let alone character and moral commitment. Wouldn’t a society composed of such people be frightening?
The poisonous harm of decadent music is far fiercer than that of drugs. This is precisely the reality described by Laozi: “Five colors blind the eyes; five tones deafen the ears; five flavors satisfy the mouth; racing and hunting drive the mind mad; rare goods obstruct one’s conduct.”
By contrast, the “beauty of balance and harmony” in ancient court ritual music of China requires that sound arise from harmony. Confucius said, “The noble person seeks harmony but not sameness; the petty person seeks sameness but not harmony.” Through this distinction between harmony and sameness, Confucianism profoundly expounded the dialectical relationship between the two. “Harmony without uniformity” means achieving harmony through difference, holding that only by embracing diversity can true harmony be attained. Such a harmonious state is what constitutes “beauty.”
At the same time, The Doctrine of the Mean in the Book of Rites states, “When joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure have not yet arisen, this is called equilibrium (zhong); when they arise and are all in proper measure, this is called harmony (he).” From this we can see that a truly upright and balanced piece of music does not provoke joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure, but rather keeps them unaroused, bringing calm and serenity. Whether in ancient court ritual music of China or in Western classical music, this shared quality of balance and propriety ensures that listeners do not develop immoral or excessive attachments. Instead, the music quiets and pacifies the mind.
Building upon Confucius’ aesthetic view of the unity of beauty and goodness, Xunzi further advanced the idea of “the mutual delight of beauty and goodness.” He said, “Thus, when music prevails, aspirations are purified; when ritual is cultivated, conduct is perfected; the senses are keen, the vital energies are harmonious; customs are transformed, and all under Heaven is at peace—beauty and goodness delight in each other.” After Confucius and Xunzi, “perfect beauty and perfect goodness” and “the mutual delight of beauty and goodness” became the highest ideals of Confucian musical aesthetics.
Music that is good and beautiful, upright and harmonious, is true music. Whether in song or in instrumental form, the music created by Dafa practitioners, guided by the cultivation standard of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, is rare music of virtue and elegant sound. It is sacred music capable of cleansing the soul of all beings. Only when listening to such sacred music can people truly realize that music possesses a far deeper meaning than mere entertainment—the power to purify the heart and spirit.
Music goes far beyond entertainment; it was never born merely to entertain.
Chinese version: https://www.zhengjian.org/node/299748
