8.15
The Master said, “When Zhi the Chief Musician led the climax of the Ospreys (Guan Ju), what a grand flood of sound filled one’s ears!”
子曰：「師摯之始，關雎之亂，洋洋乎！盈耳哉。」
Notes
Confucius praised the poem “Guan Ju” (also known as the Ospreys, the first poem in the Classic of Poetry or Book of Poetry) because its theme of “Unstraying Thoughts” expresses pure emotions and restrained morality, while the harmonious coordination of musical instruments in its performance symbolizes an ideal social order. True art offers not only sensory enjoyment but also nourishes the soul and transmits values.
“The Guan Ju is joyful yet not licentious; it is sorrowful yet not distressing.”(Analects 3.20)
It directly comments on the performance effect of the Guan Ju mentioned in the core sentence. The moderate beauty embodied in “being joyful yet not licentious, sorrowful yet not distressing” is the key to why elegant music can cultivate moral character. This echoes the aesthetic experience and educational value conveyed by the description “how magnificent it sounds, filling the ears!”.
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