A Study On The Cultivation Of Virtue In Xunzi’s 《Theory Of Music》

Xunzi was another great scholar of Confucianism after Confucius and Mencius in the pre-Qin period,with a comprehensive and profound ideological perspective.In the pre-Qin period,"music" was not music that is now used for entertainment,but rather an artistic form that integrates music,dance,and poetry,with political and educational significance.Although Confucius and Mencius had proposed some viewpoints on music theory,none of them had been systematically written,while Xunzi’s monograph "On Music" focused on "music",systematically elaborating on the composition,classification,and function of "music",thereby consolidating the theoretical foundation of Confucian music theory.This article relies on Xunzi’s "On Music" to explore the philosophy of virtue cultivation contained therein,mainly from the following aspects:First of all,starting from the social background and theoretical origin of the formation of Xunzi’s "On Music",this article explores the necessity and timeliness of its formation.In the era of Xunzi,social unrest and war not only intensified,but also led to the formation of a situation of "ritual collapse and music destruction".In addition,the concept of "non music" held by other schools represented by Mozi is constantly shaking the position of Confucianism.In this social context,in order to maintain the status of Confucianism,solve social unrest,and seek the theoretical basis for the ruling class to govern the country,Xunzi critically inherited and developed the Confucian and Mencius music theory thought,forming its own music theory thought.Secondly,it focuses on the moral cultivation thought contained in Xunzi’s "On Music".Xunzi believes that "music" originates from emotion,and can guide people’s passions,move people’s good intentions to achieve virtue.In addition,Xunzi also pursues the perfect integration of emotion and virtue,in order to achieve a gentleman’s personality of complete virtue and unity of beauty and goodness.Xunzi took "human nature is evil" as the main premise,and believed that human nature is evil without virtue,so it is possible for "music" to transform people into virtue.He believed that "music of elegant song",which includes the highest principles in the world,is truly "music",and "music" has the essential attribute of "extreme change of poverty",which can quickly reach the root of human beings to govern the people’s hearts.In addition,it also discusses the specific moral principles such as "benevolence","etiquette","integrity",and "harmony" developed in Xunzi’s "On Music",as well as the cultivation methods of "learning music","listening to music","practicing music",and "shaping music" to systematically and comprehensively comb Xunzi’s "On Music" moral cultivation thoughts.Finally,based on reality,this article explores the significance of Xunzi’s "On Music" moral thought for modern society from three perspectives: cultivating a modern and healthy personality,resisting vulgar literature and art,and building a harmonious society.Although thousands of years have passed,the virtue thought in Xunzi’s "On Music" can still serve as a magic weapon for us to deal with various problems we are currently facing,improve our moral cultivation,and build a harmonious society.It is a valuable asset worth learning from,and has important practical significance.