Record of Music

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.5

Word count: 6.5K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Yue Ji (The Record of Music) is the earliest extant work to present a relatively complete system of music theory, summarizing the Confucian aesthetic thought on music of the pre-Qin period. "Whenever sound arises, it comes from the human heart. The stirring of the human heart is caused by external things. Moved by things, the heart is stirred, and so it takes form in sound; sounds respond to one another, and so variation arises; variation takes shape and form, and this is called tone; arranging tones and giving them musical expression, together with shields, axes, feathers, and oxtails, is called music. Music is that from which tone arises; its root lies in the human heart being moved by external things." On the nature of music, Yue Ji offers penetrating discussion, affirming that music is an art expressing emotion: "Whenever sound arises, it comes from the human heart; the stirring of the human heart is caused by external things." "All tones are born of the human heart; when emotion stirs within, it takes form in sound; when sound takes shape and form, it is called tone."

Editor's review

Yue Ji is an early extant Confucian document on music theory with a relatively complete system. Its core proposition is that music is born of the human heart, and the human heart is stirred by external things; on this basis it distinguishes sound, tone, and music in ascending layers and links music to social ethics and political order. Its value lies not only in musical aesthetics but in providing a framework for understanding the pre-Qin Confucian view of emotion and moral edification: music is both a natural expression of emotion and endowed with the function of transforming customs. Read today, its discussions of how emotion is triggered by external things, how sound takes shape as art, and how art in turn acts upon the human heart still leave room for debate. The book is short but conceptually dense, suited to slow and comparative reading. Readers may set it alongside pre-Qin ritual-music materials and later music theory to see both the source formulations of Confucian music discourse and to discern its idealizing and normative elements, avoiding the mistake of taking the ancients' claims about music education as universal conclusions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers studying the history of Chinese aesthetics and musical aesthetics
Students of pre-Qin Confucian thought and ritual-music culture
Humanities readers seeking classical texts for close-reading practice
Philosophy enthusiasts interested in the relation between emotion and art

Not a good fit for

Music learners seeking performance technique and practical theory
Casual readers expecting light narrative entertainment
Readers seeking empirical conclusions from modern music psychology

Reading tips

Begin with the opening passage on the relation of sound, tone, and music; grasp the conceptual framework before proceeding.
Keep pen and paper at hand to mark key terms—emotion, external things, sound, edification—section by section, tracing the argument.
Read alongside pre-Qin ritual-music texts to distinguish textual claims from historical reality.
After finishing, restate the logic of music education in your own words to test whether you truly understand its mode of reasoning.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
乐记第十九

FAQ

Does Yue Ji mainly discuss musical technique or musical ideas?

It mainly discusses musical ideas, not performance technique. Starting from the heart stirred by external things, the text distinguishes sound, tone, and music, then discusses the relation between music and ethical edification. It is a systematic expression of Confucian musical aesthetics and music-education theory, and does not address how specific instruments are played or offer theory training.

What is the difference between sound, tone, and music in the book?

According to the text, when the heart is moved by external things it takes form in sound; sounds respond to one another and produce variation; when variation takes shape and form it is called tone; only when combined with dance and ritual implements is it called music. This layered progression emphasizes that music is not merely sound itself but an organized artistic whole with ethical meaning.

What is the significance of reading Yue Ji for modern readers?

It offers a classical framework for discussing the relation between emotion, art, and social order. Modern readers can use it to reflect on the tension between artistic expression and edifying function, and to see the idealizing aspects of Confucian music discourse, forming their own judgment through comparison rather than simple acceptance or rejection.

What should one read before Yue Ji?

No prior reading list is strictly required. To read more smoothly, one may first learn the basics of pre-Qin Confucian thought and ritual-music culture, then enter the text. Understanding terms with the help of annotations is sufficient; there is no need to read extensive works on music theory first, or one may drift into technical details and lose sight of the main line of ideas.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.