The Study On The Tao Of The Chinese Lyre

The Chinese seven-stringed plucked instrument art has a close relationship with the Chinese traditional culture since its initiative period. The significance of being an ideological carrier has far surpassed the lyre itself. Lyre is in the etymologic sense; it has expressed the important role ancient lyre played as the music of emperor ancestral witchcraft rites in pictographic way. While the archaeological discoveries of lyre proved the shape of its simplicity and monotony of sounds at the beginning of creation, which was consistent with the purpose of the existence of the sacred musical instruments in religious temple at that time. Meanwhile, it also means that the art appreciation of the beauty of lyre can be obtained gradually from the continuous development of future generations. "Tao" has a special significance in Chinese traditional ideology, in addition to accessibility; orientation of the original meaning, what is more important is that the special meaning links with the aesthetic is in the pre-Qin Confucianism and Taoism thought. Taoism Lao established the core ideology system of "Tao" and gave the profound aesthetic connotation to" Tao". Confucians, Mencius and Tzu regarded as the social ethics as "Tao", and elucidated the Confucian music theory linked closely with "Tao". The real intention of "Lyre Tao" is to make a distinction between art of lyre and skills, which highlights the art of lyre as ideological medium, as a personal self-cultivation to achieve the importance of "Tao". The art of lyre in china considers lyre Taoism as the core and reveals the Chinese Tao of traditional culture combined art device with a special wisdom to Tat, which is the means of understanding the importance of traditional Chinese art. Appreciation of the beauty of lyre art is not to appreciate the beauty of its music, but to appreciate the realm of life meaning beyond the music. As the essence of ancient Chinese traditional culture, lyre Taoism is one of the various historical periods by the different political culture and a deep impact.The concept of "Lyre ban" in Han dynasty marks the establishment of Lyre Taoism and the implementation of Confucianism and Taoism music. Dong Zhongshu in Han dynasty came up with the theoretical explanation of "Domination of Confucianism" and the "Music" of aesthetic ideology, which allows the concept of "Lyre ban" to absorb Confucianism, which calls for the joy of lyre purporting to be the perfect to attach importance to music in people’s minds. In view of this, the concept of "Lyre ban" has put forward demands for the sounds and player:on the one hand, it requires standard pronunciation to guide the listener’s performing good deeds; on the other hand, it believes that the player should value the virtue to issue the standard pronunciation. Thus, the concept of "Lyre ban" highlights" lyre virtue" and expresses the" lyre virtue" in the form of "exercise" and "smooth" with the moral content of two music style to affect people’s minds. Then the aim is to establish the art of lyre with peaceful aesthetic ideal. It can be seen from the purpose of "Lyre ban" to achieve "Lyre Tao" ideal, it is no doubt that the negative criticism of "Lyre ban" by the conservative nature is biased in fact, "Lyre ban" is highlighted by the concept of spiritual and cultural characteristics of the art of lyre.The concept of "harp-free" growing out of special social environment in the Wei, Chin and Southern and Northern Dynasties is the flag of the thought of "Lyre Tao" turned toward Taoism culture. The concept of "harp-free" has absorbed the Taoism elucidated the Metaphysics of basic idea of "no faith "and focus on the spirit of the pursuit of individual personality. While Ji Kang brought forward" The theory of music without joys and sorrows", it directly valued the formation of the identity of the music rather than the external voice of the "harp-free". Therefore, "harp-free" refers to not only a special form of musical instrument, but a special interpretation of the Metaphysics of "nothing". Namely, to separate the ontology of music and external sound and advocate enjoying the music from its identity is to show Wei and Jin that kind of serious and natural free personality. As another "Lyre Tao" for "harp-free", it stands for virtuous love in the lyre of’conception which stimulates people to reach beyond the mundane utilitarian and the "Tao" of free actual self.The emergence of lyre monk means the infiltration of Zen Buddhism in the thought of "Lyre Tao". Buddhism in China was completed after the formal establishment of Zen Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty, while the monks’ arts and cultural activities also increasingly have been aroused people’s attention from the Wei and Jin Dynasties. The lyre monk also earned the space of growth and display. Since the music was gorgeous and rip-roarious style as a whole in the Tang Dynasty, making the lyre Monk generally stand on the limit of Song and on the basic characteristics of pure in the Buddhist music which formed the aesthetic feature of quiet and beautiful lyre music, and developed with the flexibility to lyre reflects the Zen’s performance. Thus, the emergence and development of lyre Monk is not only the important reason for lyre’s transformation, more importantly, lyre Monk’s music contains Zen’s’Tao’ on Buddha that is to expect through" an idea, no idea" to encourage instantly people to be accessible to the way of awakening the wisdom of the Buddha. The dharma wisdom in the inner world and the external lyre music can come and go freely, without rigidly adhering to birth, or going to the society, to gain a sense of play from the maximum. This is another Lyre Tao that lyre monk was under the guidance of Zen’s’Tao’During the period of Ming and Qing dynasties, the ancient and modern debate on lyre music marked fundamental connotation on the first appearance of lyre Tao thought. The ancient and modern debate established on the basis of elegant dispute on the Chinese traditional music. It was based on the difference between different classes, primarily developed the controversy from two aspects of the music content and form. Under the background of the intensification of the class contradictions during the period of Ming and Qing dynasties, Yan Tianchi, Xu Shangying stood by the representatives of the feudal rulers’ side, it requested return of ancient music on aesthetic lyre music, and summarized traditional art of aesthetic lyre music. One of Xu Shangying’s book "Xi Shan Qinkuang" expressed the establishment of’Lyre Tao’ through the description of the lyre tone, rhythm and performance skills, and required the arrival of the purport ideal fusion of three aesthetic ideas in Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism through lyre music. On the other hand, Li Zhi represented the needs of the emerging citizens through the Taoist "nature" and the Zen’s "mind" to reform on the theory, which proposed against the bondage of humanity in the Confucian music and ancient music of "attributing to the right path" to maintain the "new voice" differing from the traditional true nature. Obviously, how to express the people’s minds in realistic voice became the ultimate goal in the Li Zhi’s aesthetic music thought. He focused back to the reality of the lyre music itself, which is no doubt with running counter to traditional "Lyre Tao".From the concept of lyre ban, harp-free, and lyre monk point of view, the art of lyre aesthetic integrates traditional Chinese culture into Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism thought in different ways to establish lyre music aesthetic system based on a ’Lyre Tao’ thought, and then it has highlighted the art of lyre as ideological medium, as a personal self-cultivation to achieve the importance of "Tao". During the period of Ming and Qing dynasties, the ancient and modern debate was to make aesthetic system in the art of lyre center on the "Lyre Tao" showed the difference from its nature, which is the initial emergence of the fall of lyre Tao thought in the modern times. The understanding and heritage of Chinese art of lyre should conduct from the "Lyre Tao" sense and the special intelligence in the Chinese traditional culture, but can not evaluate from the melodies and the music in the form of the level of skills. In doing so, it will provide a new possibility in the development of modern society for the art of lyre.