1
六經之道同歸，而禮樂之用為急。 治身者斯須忘禮，則暴嫚入之矣； 為國者一朝失禮，則荒亂及之矣。 人函天地陰陽之氣，有喜怒哀樂之情。 天稟其性而不能節也，聖人能為之節而不能絕也，故象天地而制禮樂，所以通神明，立人倫，正情性，節萬事者也。
All six classics aim at the same ultimate truth, but in practice nothing is more pressing than ritual and music. If a person neglects ritual even briefly, brutality and contempt quickly take hold. If a ruler lets ritual lapse even for a day, chaos and ruin soon follow. People embody the forces of heaven and earth, yin and yang, and naturally experience joy, anger, grief, and delight. Heaven gives people their nature but does not curb it; sages can discipline it, though they cannot erase it. So, taking heaven and earth as their model, they created ritual and music to align with the spiritual order, ground human relationships, rectify human feelings, and bring measure to all things.
2
人性有男女之情，妒忌之別，為制婚姻之禮； 有交接長幼之序，為制鄉飲之禮； 有哀死思遠之情，為制喪祭之禮； 有尊尊敬上之心，為制朝覲之禮。 哀有哭踊之節，樂有歌舞之容，正人足以副其誠，邪人足以防其失。 故婚姻之禮廢，則夫婦之道苦，而淫辟之罪多； 鄉飲之禮廢，則長幼之序亂，而爭鬥之獄蕃； 喪祭之禮廢，則骨肉之恩薄，而背死忘先者眾； 朝聘之禮廢，則君臣之位失，而侵陵之漸起。 故孔子曰：「安上治民，莫殒於禮； 移風易俗，莫殒於樂。」 禮節民心，樂和民聲，政以行之，刑以防之。 禮樂政刑四達而不誖，則王道備矣。
Because men and women are drawn to one another and jealousy arises among them, marriage rites were established. Because social life requires clear order between old and young, the village-drinking rites were created. Because people grieve the dead and remember distant ancestors, mourning and sacrificial rites were established. Because people are moved to honor rank and respect superiors, rites of court audience were instituted. Grief has set forms for lamentation, and joy has proper forms for song and dance. Such forms let the upright fully express sincerity, and they restrain the wayward from excess. So when marriage rites break down, relations between husband and wife sour, and sexual misconduct multiplies. If village rites collapse, the hierarchy between old and young is thrown into confusion, and disputes and brawling cases proliferate. If mourning and ancestral rites are neglected, family bonds weaken, and many people disregard the dead and forget their ancestors. If court and diplomatic rites fall away, the proper order between ruler and minister breaks down, and mutual encroachment starts to grow. Thus Confucius said, 'To secure those above and govern the people, nothing is better than ritual; and to transform customs and alter habits, nothing is better than music.' Ritual orders people's minds, music harmonizes expression, governance carries it out, and punishment checks violations. When rites, music, policy, and law work in concert across the realm, the kingly way is complete.
3
樂以治內而為同，禮以修外而為異； 同則和親，異則畏敬； 和親則無怨，畏敬則不爭。 揖讓而天下治者，禮樂之謂也。 二者並行，合為一體。 畏敬之意難見，則著之於享獻辭受，登降跪拜； 和親之說難形，則發之於詩歌詠言，鐘石筦弦。 蓋嘉其敬意而不及其財賄，美其歡心而不流其聲音。 故孔子曰：「
Music unifies inwardly, while ritual differentiates outwardly. Unity fosters closeness, while distinction fosters reverence. Affection prevents bitterness, and reverence prevents strife. When the world is governed through courtesy and deference, that is the work of ritual and music. These two operate together as a single system. Because reverence is inward and hard to perceive, it is expressed through ceremony: offering and receiving, rising and descending, kneeling and bowing. Because harmony and affection are hard to depict directly, they are conveyed through verse, song, and the sounds of bells, chimes, winds, and strings. What mattered was sincere reverence over wealth, and genuine joy over sheer sonic display. Therefore Confucius said, '
4
禮云禮云，玉帛云乎哉？ 樂云樂云，鐘鼓云乎哉？」 此禮樂之本也。 故曰：「知禮樂之情者能作，識禮樂之文者能述； 作者之謂聖，述者之謂明。 明聖者，述作之謂也。」
When we speak of ritual, can it be reduced to jade and silk offerings? When we speak of music, is it only bells and drums?' This is the fundamental principle of ritual and music. Thus the saying runs: 'Only those who grasp the inner meaning of rites and music can originate them; only those acquainted with their outward forms can pass them on. Creators are called sages, and transmitters are called those of clear understanding. To be discerning and sage is to be able both to transmit and to create.'
5
王者必因前王之禮，順時施宜，有所損益，即民之心，稍稍制作，至太平而大備。 周監於二代，禮文尤具，事為之制，曲為之防，故稱禮經三百，威儀三千。 於是教化浹洽，民用和睦，災害不生，禍亂不作，囹圄空虛，四十餘年。 孔子美之曰：「郁郁乎文哉！ 吾從周。」 及其衰也，諸侯踰越法度，惡禮制之害己，去其篇籍。 遭秦滅學，遂以亂亡。
A ruler should inherit earlier rites, adapt them to present conditions, and adjust them by popular sentiment, building institutions step by step until they reach full form in an age of peace. The Zhou, learning from the prior two dynasties, developed an exceptionally complete ritual order, with detailed regulations for institutions and conduct, hence the saying of 'three hundred rites' and 'three thousand observances.' As a result, instruction spread widely, society was harmonious, calamities and disorder were rare, and prisons stood largely empty for over forty years. Confucius admired it: 'How flourishing and refined this culture is! I take Zhou as my model.' But in decline, the lords broke legal norms, resented ritual limits on their power, and discarded the ritual books. Then Qin suppressed learning, and the tradition collapsed into disorder.
6
漢興，撥亂反正，日不暇給，猶命叔孫通制禮儀，以正君臣之位。 高祖說而歎曰：「吾乃今日知為天子之貴也！」 以通為奉常，遂定儀法，未盡備而通終。
At the Han founding, even amid urgent state-building, Shusun Tong was tasked with codifying ritual so ruler and minister would each keep their proper place. Gaozu exclaimed with delight, 'Only now do I understand the majesty of the Son of Heaven!' Tong became Minister of Ceremonies and set key protocols, but he died before the system was fully finished.
7
至文帝時，賈誼以為「漢承秦之敗俗，廢禮義，捐廉恥，今其甚者殺父兄，盜者取廟器，而大臣特以簿書不報期會為故，至於風俗流溢，恬而不怪，以為是適然耳。 夫移風易俗，使天下回心而鄉道，類非俗吏之所能為也。 夫立君臣，等上下，使綱紀有序，六親和睦，此非天之所為，人之所設也。 人之所設，不為不立，不修則壞。 漢興至今二十餘年，宜定制度，興禮樂，然後諸侯軌道，百姓素樸，獄訟衰息」。 乃草具其儀，天子說焉。 而大臣絳、灌之屬害之，故其議遂寢。
By Emperor Wen's time, Jia Yi argued, 'The Han inherited Qin's corrupt customs, abandoned ritual and righteousness, and threw away any sense of honor or shame. Now, in the worst cases, men kill their fathers and elder brothers, and thieves steal vessels from ancestral temples, yet senior ministers treat only late reports and missed administrative deadlines as serious offenses. Custom has decayed so far that people are numb to it, feeling no shock and taking it as normal. Turning the whole empire toward the Way through moral transformation is not work for routine administrators. The ordered relations of ruler and subject, superior and inferior, and harmony among kin are human institutions, not automatic gifts of Heaven. Human institutions must be created and maintained; otherwise they fail. More than twenty years have now passed since the Han arose. The court should settle its institutions and revive ritual and music. Only then will the regional lords keep to the proper path, the common people return to plain simplicity, and lawsuits dwindle away.' He produced draft ceremonial regulations, and the emperor approved them. Yet senior ministers such as Zhou Bo and Guan Ying blocked it, and the plan was dropped.
8
至武帝即位，進用英雋，議立明堂，制禮服，以興太平。 會竇太后好黃老言，不說儒術，其事又廢。 後董仲舒對策言：「王者欲有所為，宜求其端於天。 天道大者，在於陰陽。 陽為德，陰為刑。 天使陽常居大夏而以生育長養為事，陰常居大冬而積於空虛不用之處，以此見天之任德不任刑也。 陽出布施於上而主歲功，陰入伏藏於下而時出佐陽。 陽不得陰之助，亦不能獨成歲功。 王者承天意以從事，故務德教而省刑罰。 刑罰不可任以治世，猶陰之不可任以成歲也。 今廢先王之德教，獨用執法之吏治民，而欲德化被四海，故難成也。 是故古之王者莫不以教化為大務，立大學以教於國，設庠序以化於邑。 教化已明，習俗已成，天下嘗無一人之獄矣。 至周末世，大為無道，以失天下。 秦繼其後，又益甚之。 自古以來，未嘗以亂濟亂，大敗天下如秦者也。 習俗薄惡，民人抵冒。 今漢繼秦之後，雖欲治之，無可柰何。 法出而姦生，令下而詐起，一歲之獄以萬千數，如以湯止沸，沸俞甚而無益。 辟之琴瑟不調，甚者必解而更張之，乃可鼓也。 為政而不行，甚者必變而更化之，乃可理也。 故漢得天下以來，常欲善治，而至今不能勝殘去殺者，失之當更化而不能更化也。 古人有言：『臨淵羨魚，不如歸而結網。』 今臨政而願治七十餘歲矣，不如退而更化。 更化則可善治，而災害日去，福祿日來矣。」 是時，上方征討四夷，銳志武功，不暇留意禮文之事。
When Emperor Wu came to the throne, he promoted outstanding men, debated establishing the Bright Hall, set ritual dress, and aimed to restore an age of great peace. But Empress Dowager Dou favored Daoist teachings and disliked Confucian learning, so the plan was shelved once more. Later Dong Zhongshu answered the throne's policy questions, saying, 'Whatever a king would undertake, he should look for its source in Heaven. The chief pattern of Heaven is yin and yang. Yang stands for life-giving power; yin for killing power. Heaven keeps yang in the height of summer, busy with fostering life, while yin lodges in the depth of winter, hoarded in hollow dormant places; from this we see that Heaven trusts in kindness, not in the axe. Yang goes forth to spread above and master the year's growth, while yin slips below and only surfaces now and then to second yang. Yet without yin's help, yang cannot finish the harvest by itself. The king takes up Heaven's purpose, so he leans on moral teaching and lightens punishments. You cannot govern an age on punishments any more than you can ripen a harvest on yin alone. Having discarded the moral teaching of earlier kings and left the people to law clerks alone, yet hoping virtue will flood the realm, success is hard to reach. That is why every ancient king made public teaching his first duty, founding the Imperial Academy for the capital and local schools for the towns. Once teaching was plain and custom fixed, the realm could go without a single court case. By Zhou's last days they had abandoned the Way outright and forfeited the realm. Qin followed and only dug the hole deeper. Never has a dynasty used disorder to cure disorder or broken the realm as thoroughly as Qin. Customs turned coarse and wicked, and the people brazenly defied authority. Han has inherited Qin's legacy; even the wish to rule well meets what cannot easily be mended. Laws breed evasion the moment they are posted, orders breed fraud the moment they drop, and yearly lawsuits run into the thousands—like pouring boiling water on a boil: the harder you try, the worse it gets. Think of a lute far out of tune: sometimes you must slack the strings and reseat them before it will sound true. Likewise a policy that will not run must be remade root and branch before the state can be set right. Since founding the dynasty, Han has wanted good order, yet still cannot overcome violence and end executions—because it would not change when change was due. The old proverb says, 'Better to mend your net at home than only to sigh at the fish by the pool.' You have faced the realm and longed for order for more than seventy years; it is time to step back and refashion policy. Reform brings good rule, and calamities recede day by day while blessings and prosperity arrive in their place.' At that time the emperor was campaigning on the frontiers, intent on military glory, and had no leisure for ritual and ceremonial matters.
9
至宣帝時，琅邪王吉為諫大夫，又上疏言：「欲治之主不世出，公卿幸得遭遇其時，未有建萬世之長策，舉明主於三代之隆者也。 其務在於簿書斷獄聽訟而已，此非太平之基也。 今俗吏所以牧民者，非有禮義科指可世世通行者也，以意穿鑿，各取一切。 是以詐偽萌生，刑罰無極，質樸日消，恩愛寖薄。 孔子曰『安上治民，莫善於禮』，非空言也。 願與大臣延及儒生，述舊禮，明王制，驅一世之民，濟之仁壽之域，則俗何以不若成康？ 壽何以不若高宗？」 上不納其言，吉以病去。
By Emperor Xuan's time, Wang Ji of Langye was serving as Remonstrant Grandee, and he submitted another memorial: 'A ruler who truly seeks good government does not appear in every generation. The ministers have been fortunate enough to meet such an age, yet none has laid down a lasting policy for ten thousand generations or helped an enlightened ruler reach the flourishing standard of the Three Dynasties. If common officials focus only on paperwork and litigation, that cannot be the basis of lasting peace. Local administrators lack enduring moral standards; each improvises by personal interpretation and short-term expediency. As a result, deception multiplies, penalties escalate without end, honesty fades, and human affection steadily weakens. Confucius's claim that ritual best stabilizes authority and orders the people is no empty slogan. I ask that ministers and classical scholars together restore ancient rites and clarify royal institutions, guiding the people into a humane and flourishing order; then why could our customs not match the age of Kings Cheng and Kang? And why should the dynasty not enjoy longevity like Gaozong's?' The emperor rejected his advice, and Wang Ji resigned on grounds of illness.
10
至成帝時，犍為郡於水濱得古磬十六枚，議者以為殒祥。 劉向因是說上：「宜興辟雍，設庠序，陳禮樂，隆雅頌之聲，盛揖攘之容，以風化天下。 如此而不治者，未之有也。 或曰，不能具禮。 禮以養人為本，如有過差，是過而養人也。 刑罰之過，或至死傷。 今之刑，非皋陶之法也，而有司請定法，削則削，筆則筆，救時務也。 至於禮樂，則曰不敢，是敢於殺人不敢於養人也。 為其俎豆筦弦之間小不備，因是絕而不為，是去小不備而就大不備，大不備或莫甚焉。 夫教化之比於刑法，刑法輕，是舍所重而急所輕也。 且教化，所恃以為治也，刑法所以助治也。 今廢所恃而獨立其所助，非所以致太平也。 自京師有誖逆不順之子孫，至於陷大辟受刑戮者不絕，繇不習五常之道也。 夫承千歲之衰周，繼暴秦之餘敝，民漸漬惡俗，貪饕險詖，不閑義理，不示以大化，而獨敺以刑罰，終已不改。 故曰：『
Under Emperor Cheng, sixteen ancient chime stones were discovered by a river in Jianwei, and many took it as a favorable omen. Liu Xiang therefore advised the emperor: 'The court should establish the Biyong, set up local schools, put ritual and music on display, honor the sounds of the Ya and Song hymns, and give full dignity to the etiquette of deference, so as to transform the whole realm. No state has ever remained badly governed after implementing measures like these. Some object that the full ritual system cannot be put in place. Ritual is fundamentally about nurturing people; even its mistakes err on the side of care. By contrast, excess in criminal law can maim or kill. Today's penal code is no ancient ideal, yet officials constantly revise and enforce it to address immediate needs. To enforce punishment while refusing ritual is to be bold in harming and timid in nurturing. They abandon the whole enterprise because a few ceremonial details are imperfect; that trades minor defects for a far greater deficiency. Moral transformation is the heavier instrument and punishment the lighter; prioritizing penalties reverses what matters. Instruction and moral transformation are the foundation of rule; criminal law is only an auxiliary support. Discarding the foundation and relying only on penal support cannot produce lasting peace. Even in the capital, unfilial and rebellious descendants keep appearing and ending in execution because they were not formed by the Five Constant virtues. After long Zhou decline and Qin's violent legacy, people were soaked in corrosive habits and cut off from moral principle. Without broad ethical cultivation, punishment alone cannot truly reform them. Hence the saying:
11
導之以禮樂，而民和睦。』 初，叔孫通將制定禮儀，見非於齊魯之士，然卒為漢儒宗，業垂後嗣，斯成法也。」 成帝以向言下公卿議，會向病卒，丞相大司空奏請立辟雍。 案行長安城南，營表未作，遭成帝崩，群臣引以定諡。
'Lead the people through rites and music, and they will live in harmony.' When Shusun Tong first drafted ritual institutions, scholars from Qi and Lu attacked him. Yet he became the Han Confucian standard and his work endured through later generations; that is what a lasting institution is.' Emperor Cheng referred Liu Xiang's proposal to the court, but Xiang soon died; afterward the chancellor and the grand minister of works formally requested construction of the Biyong. A site south of Chang'an was surveyed, yet before work began Emperor Cheng died, and officials turned to arranging his posthumous honors.
12
及王莽為宰衡，欲燿眾庶，遂興辟廱，因以篡位，海內畔之。 世祖受命中興，撥亂反正，改定京師于土中。 即位三十年，四夷賓服，百姓家給，政教清明，乃營立明堂、辟廱。 顯宗即位，躬行其禮，宗祀光武皇帝于明堂，養三老五更於辟廱，威儀既盛美矣。 然德化未流洽者，禮樂未具，群下無所誦說，而庠序尚未設之故也。 孔子曰：「辟如為山，未成一匱，止，吾止也。」 今叔孫通所撰禮儀，與律令同錄，臧於理官，法家又復不傳。 漢典寢而不著，民臣莫有言者。 又通沒之後，河間獻王采禮樂古事，稍稍增輯，至五百餘篇。 今學者不能昭見，但推士禮以及天子，說義又頗謬異，故君臣長幼交接之道娅以不章。
As regent, Wang Mang built the Biyong to impress the populace, then used the moment to usurp power, provoking empire-wide revolt. When Emperor Guangwu restored Han under Heaven's mandate, he reordered the realm and reestablished the capital in the central heartland. After three decades of rule, with frontier peoples pacified and the populace prosperous under lucid governance, he proceeded to build the Mingtang and Biyong. On accession, Emperor Ming personally performed these rites: he worshiped Emperor Guangwu in the Mingtang and honored elder worthies in the Biyong, bringing ceremonial magnificence to full display. Even so, moral influence did not fully permeate society, because ritual music remained incomplete, officials lacked a shared canon to expound, and school institutions were still underdeveloped. Confucius said, 'Building a mountain, if you stop with one basket left, the failure is your own stopping.' Shusun Tong's ritual code was archived with legal statutes in judicial bureaus, and legal specialists did not pass it down. As a result, Han ritual institutions faded into obscurity, with scarcely anyone in court or society speaking for them. After Tong died, the Prince Xian of Hejian gathered old ritual and musical records and incrementally compiled them into more than five hundred chapters. Today's scholars cannot see the full system clearly; they extrapolate upward from lower-rank rites, and their interpretations diverge badly, leaving core social relations insufficiently defined.
13
樂者，聖人之所樂也，而可以善民心。 其感人深，其移風易俗易，故先王著其教焉。
Music was cherished by sages because it can cultivate goodness in the hearts of the people. Music moves people profoundly and reshapes social habits with relative ease; that is why former kings made it central to governance.
14
夫民有血氣心知之性，而無哀樂喜怒之常，應感而動，然後心術形焉。 是以纖微虍瘁一作「衰」之音作，而民思憂； 闡諧嫚易之音作，而民康樂； 麤厲猛奮之音作，而民剛毅； 廉直正誠之音作，而民肅敬； 寬裕和順之音作，而民慈愛； 流辟邪散之音作，而民淫亂。 先王恥其亂也，故制雅頌之聲，本之情性，稽之度數，制之禮儀，合生氣之和，導五常之行，使之陽而不散，陰而不集，剛氣不怒，柔氣不懾，四暢交於中，而發作於外，皆安其位而不相奪也，足以感動人之善心而，不使邪氣得接焉，是先王立樂之方也。
Humans possess vital energies and cognition, but emotions are not fixed; they arise in response to circumstances, and through that response the mind's tendencies become visible. "Therefore, when subtle, slight, and waning tones are produced, the people incline to worry and sorrow." When tones are open, consonant, and relaxed, people become at ease and cheerful. Harsh, driving sounds foster toughness and determination. Upright and sincere tones cultivate gravity and respect. Generous and mild tones encourage kindness and affection. Loose and perverse sounds lead people toward indulgence and disorder. Ashamed of moral chaos, former kings created orthodox music, calibrated by measure and ritual, aligned with human feeling and cosmic harmony, and directed toward the Five Constant virtues. Properly balanced, it animated without excess, softened without weakness, kept forces in due proportion, awakened goodness, and blocked corrupt influences; this was their method for instituting music.
15
王者未作樂之時，因先王之樂以教化百姓，說樂其俗，然後改作，以章功德。 《易》曰：「先王以作樂崇德，殷薦之上帝，以配祖考。」 昔黃帝作咸池，顓頊作六莖，帝嚳作五英，堯作大章，舜作招，禹作夏，湯作濩，武王作武，周公作勺。 勺，言能勺先祖之道也。 武，言以功定天下也。 濩，言救民也。 夏，大承二帝也。 招，繼堯也。 大章，章之也。 五英，英華茂也。 六莖，及根莖也。 咸池，備矣。 自夏以往，其流不可聞已，殷頌猶有存者。 周詩既備，而其器用張陳，周官具焉。 典者自卿大夫師瞽以下，皆選有道德之人，朝夕習業，以教國子。 國子者，卿大夫之子弟也。 皆學歌九德，誦六詩，習六舞、五聲、八音之和。 故帝舜命夔曰：「女典樂，教冑子，直而溫，寬而栗，剛而無虐，簡而無敖。 詩言志，歌詠言，聲依詠，律和聲，八音克諧。」 此之謂也。 又以外賞諸侯德盛而教尊者。 其威儀足以充目，音聲足以動耳，詩語足以感心，故聞其音而德和，省其詩而志正，論其數而法立。 是以薦之郊廟則鬼神饗，作之朝廷則群臣和，立之學官則萬民協。 聽者無不虛己竦神，說而承流，是以海內遍知上德，被服其風，光煇日新，化上遷善，而不知所以然，至於萬物不夭，天地順而嘉應降。 故《詩》曰：「鐘鼓鍠鍠，磬管鏘鏘，降福穰穰。」 《書》云：「擊石拊石，百獸率舞。」 鳥獸且猶感應，而況於人乎？ 況於鬼神乎？ 故樂者，聖人之所以感天地，通神明，安萬民，成性類者也。 然自雅頌之興，而所承衰亂之音猶在，是謂淫過凶嫚之聲，為設禁焉。 世衰民散，小人乘君子，心耳淺薄，則邪勝正。 故書序「殷紂斷棄先祖之樂，乃作淫聲，用變亂正聲，以說婦人。」 樂官師瞽抱其器而奔散，或適諸侯，或入河海。 夫樂本情性，浹肌膚而臧骨髓，雖經乎千載，其遺風餘烈尚猶不絕。 至春秋時，陳公子完奔齊。 陳，舜之後，招樂存焉。 故孔子適齊聞招，三月不知肉味，曰「不圖為樂之至於斯！」 美之甚也。
A ruler first governs with inherited music to educate the populace and refine customs, then composes new works to mark his own merit and virtue. The Changes says: 'The former kings composed music to honor virtue and, in solemn offerings, presented it to the High God together with their ancestors.' The tradition names these foundational compositions: Xianchi of the Yellow Emperor, Liujing of Zhuanxu, Wuying of Emperor Ku, Dazhang of Yao, Zhao of Shun, Xia of Yu, Huo of Tang, Wu of King Wu, and Shao of the Duke of Zhou. 'Shao' signifies carrying forward the ancestral way. 'Wu' signifies bringing the realm to order through military merit. 'Huo' signifies saving the people. 'Xia' signifies grandly continuing the legacy of two earlier emperors. 'Zhao' signifies carrying on from Yao. 'Dazhang' signifies grand manifestation. 'Wuying' signifies luxuriant brilliance. 'Liujing' signifies reaching all the way to the roots. 'Xianchi' signifies full completeness. After Xia, the later streams are no longer recoverable in sound, with only remnants of Yin hymns still preserved. By Zhou times the poetic corpus was complete, and the arrangement of instruments and ritual display was systematically codified in the Zhou offices. Music officials at every level were chosen for moral character and trained constantly so they could educate the state's young elites. These 'state sons' were the sons and younger relatives of major officials. They were all trained to sing the Nine Virtues, recite the Six Poems, and perform the Six Dances in proper accord with the Five Tones and Eight Instrumental Sounds. Thus Emperor Shun ordered Kui: 'You are in charge of music. Teach the noble youths to be upright yet warm, broad yet reverent, firm yet not harsh, and simple yet not arrogant. Poems express intention; songs extend words; tones follow the chant; pitch standards tune the tones; and all eight classes of instruments can be harmonized." This is exactly what that saying refers to. It also serves to honor and reward those feudal lords who are rich in virtue and esteemed for their moral instruction. Its ceremony satisfies the eye, its music moves the ear, and its verse touches the heart. So its sounds harmonize character, its poems straighten intent, and its patterned measures ground social norms. So when these rites and music are offered at state and ancestral sacrifices, spirits are received; when practiced at court, officials are unified; when taught in schools, the people come into concord. All who hear it set aside self-interest and are inwardly stirred, gladly following its moral current. In this way the whole realm learns higher virtue and is shaped by it: culture brightens day by day, people rise toward goodness almost without noticing, and harmony becomes so deep that even nature seems to respond with favorable signs. Hence the Odes say: 'Bells and drums ring out, chimes and flutes answer, and blessings pour down in plenty.' As the Documents put it: 'When the stone instruments are sounded, all creatures move together in dance.' If even animals are moved by it, how much more deeply should people be moved? And how much more would this affect the spirits? Thus music is the means by which sages resonate with heaven and earth, commune with the spiritual order, bring peace to the people, and fully cultivate human nature. But even with the rise of orthodox hymn traditions, corrupted music from eras of decline still persisted. Such sounds, marked by excess and brutality, were therefore explicitly forbidden. In times of decay, social bonds fray and petty men overpower principled ones; when people grow shallow in sensibility, the perverse defeats the proper. Thus the Book Preface says: 'King Zhou of Yin broke with the music of his ancestors and abandoned it. He then created licentious sounds, using them to distort and disrupt proper music in order to please women.' Court musicians and blind music masters fled with their instruments in chaos, some taking service with regional lords, others vanishing into exile. Music arises from human nature itself. It sinks into the body and lodges deep in the marrow, so even after a thousand years its lingering power still does not disappear. In the Spring and Autumn era, Prince Wan of Chen went into exile in Qi. Because Chen traced its lineage to Shun, the ancient Zhao music tradition was still preserved there. So when Confucius visited Qi and heard the Zhao music, he was so absorbed that for three months he forgot the taste of meat, exclaiming, 'I never imagined music could attain such heights!' This shows how deeply he admired it.
16
周道始缺，怨刺之詩起。 王澤既竭，而詩不能作。 王官失業，雅頌相錯，孔子論而定之，故曰：「吾自衛反魯，然後樂正，雅頌各得其所。」 是時，周室大壞，諸侯恣行，設兩觀，乘大路。 陪臣管仲、季氏之屬，三歸雍徹，八佾舞廷。 制度遂壞，陵夷而不反，桑間、濮上，鄭、衛、宋、趙之聲並出，內則致疾損壽，外則亂政傷民。 巧偽因而飾之，以營亂富貴之耳目。 庶人以求利，列國以相間。 故秦穆遺戎而由余去，齊人餽魯而孔子行。 至於六國，魏文侯最為好古，而謂子夏曰：「寡人聽古樂則欲寐，及聞鄭、衛，余不知倦焉。」 子夏辭而辨之，終不見納，自此禮樂喪矣。
As the Zhou order began to fray, poetry of grievance and criticism emerged. Once royal virtue was spent, the poetic tradition itself could no longer be renewed. Royal officials ceased to perform their offices, and the Ya and Song traditions became confused. Confucius examined and settled them, and so he said, 'Only after I returned from Wei to Lu was music set right, and the Ya and Song each found its proper place.' By then the Zhou royal order had badly broken down: regional lords behaved without restraint, usurping royal architectural and ceremonial privileges. Even sub-ministers like Guan Zhong and the Ji clan appropriated high ritual forms, including grand completion rites and the eight-rank court dance reserved for higher authority. Institutional order decayed and never recovered. Erotic and disorderly musical styles spread everywhere, and their effects were corrosive both personally and politically: they damaged health and longevity, and they destabilized governance while harming the people. Cunning opportunists polished these corrupt forms and used them to captivate and confuse elite taste. Common people exploited them for gain, while rival states used them as tools of political penetration and intrigue. Thus Qin's Duke Mu, diverted by such influences, lost You Yu; likewise, when Qi's gifts corrupted Lu, Confucius chose to depart. By the Warring States age, even Marquis Wen of Wei, though known for honoring antiquity, told Zixia: 'Ancient music makes me drowsy, but the music of Zheng and Wei never lets me tire.' Zixia defended orthodox music in detail, but his argument was rejected; from then on, the ritual-musical tradition declined.
17
漢興，樂家有制氏，以雅樂聲律世世在大樂官，但能紀其鏗鎗鼓舞，而不能言其義。 高祖時，叔孫通因秦樂人制宗廟樂。 大祝迎神于廟門，奏嘉至，猶古降神之樂也。 皇帝入廟門，奏永至，以為行步之節，猶古采薺、肆夏也。 乾豆上，奏登歌，獨上歌，不以筦弦亂人聲，欲在位者遍聞之，猶古清廟之歌也。 登歌再終，下奏休成之樂，美神明既饗也。 皇帝就酒東廂，坐定，奏永安之樂，美禮已成也。 又有房中祠樂，高祖唐山夫人所作也。 周有房中樂，至秦名曰壽人。 凡樂，樂其所生，禮不忘本。 高祖樂楚聲，故房中樂楚聲也。 孝惠二年，使樂府令夏侯寬備其簫管，更名曰安世樂。
After the Han founding, hereditary court musicians preserved technical pitch systems within the Grand Music Office, but they could transmit performance forms more than interpretive meaning. Under Emperor Gaozu, Shusun Tong used Qin court musicians as a basis for restoring temple music. At the temple gate, the chief ritual officiant greeted the spirits to the piece Jiazhi, corresponding to the old 'inviting down the spirits' music. As the emperor entered, Yongzhi marked the cadence of his movement, functioning like the ancient processional pieces Caiji and Sixia. At the offering of the dry sacrificial dishes, the ascension hymn was sung as unaccompanied lead chant, without winds or strings obscuring the human voice, so everyone present could clearly hear it, in the manner of the ancient Qingmiao hymn. After two cycles of the ascension chant, the ensemble below performed Xiucheng to celebrate that the spirits had accepted the offering. Once the emperor took his seat at the eastern wine position, Yong'an was performed to mark the successful completion of the ceremony. There was also an inner-chamber liturgical repertoire, attributed to Lady Tangshan in Gaozu's time. The Zhou tradition already had inner-chamber music, which in Qin times was called Shouren. The principle is that music should honor its origin, and ritual should never lose sight of first principles. Because Gaozu favored the musical style of Chu, the inner-chamber repertoire adopted Chu tonal character. In Emperor Hui's second year, Music Bureau Director Xiahou Kuan regularized its wind instrumentation and retitled the suite 'Music for Pacifying the Age.'
18
高祖廟奏武德、文始、五行之舞； 孝文廟奏昭德、文始、四時、五行之舞； 孝武廟奏盛德、文始、四時、五行之舞。 武德舞者，高祖四年作，以象天下樂己行武以除亂也。 文始舞者，曰本舜招舞也，高祖六年更名曰文始，以示不相襲也。 五行舞者，本周舞也，秦始皇二十六年更名曰五行也。 四時舞者，孝文所作，以明示天下之安和也。 蓋樂己所自作，明有制也； 樂先王之樂，明有法也。 孝景采武德舞以為昭德，以尊大宗廟。 至孝宣，采昭德舞為盛德，以尊世宗廟。 諸帝廟皆常奏文始、四時、五行舞云。 高祖六年又作昭容樂、禮容樂。 昭容者，猶古之昭夏也，主出武德舞。 禮容者，主出文始、五行舞。 舞人無樂者，將至至尊之前不敢以樂也； 出用樂者，言舞不失節，能以樂終也。 大氐皆因秦舊事焉。
At Gaozu's ancestral temple, the court performed the Wude, Wenshi, and Five-Phases dances. At Emperor Wen's temple they performed Zhaode, Wenshi, Four-Seasons, and Five-Phases dances. At Emperor Wu's ancestral temple, the court performed Shengde, Wenshi, Four-Seasons, and Five-Phases dances. The Wude dance was instituted in Gaozu's fourth year to represent the empire's gratitude for pacification through force. Wenshi was traced to Shun's Zhao dance, but it was renamed in Gaozu's sixth year to mark a distinct Han adaptation. The Five-Phases dance came from Zhou precedent and was retitled in the twenty-sixth year of the First Emperor of Qin. The Four-Seasons dance was composed under Emperor Wen to proclaim orderly peace throughout the empire. Honoring music one creates oneself demonstrates deliberate institutional design; Honoring the music of former kings shows fidelity to normative models. Emperor Jing adapted Wude into Zhaode to elevate the primary ancestral shrine. Under Emperor Xuan, Zhaode was transformed into Shengde to honor Shizong's temple cult. Across the imperial ancestral temples, Wenshi plus the Four-Seasons and Five-Phases dances became standard repertory. Gaozu's sixth year also saw the creation of the Zhaorong and Lirong ceremonial pieces. Zhaorong corresponded to the old Zhaoxia type and chiefly introduced the Wude dance. Lirong functioned primarily with the Wenshi and Five-Phases dance sets. Dancing without accompaniment signaled reverent restraint before the supreme ruler; Music at the exit marked that the dance had maintained ritual measure and reached a proper musical close. In broad outline, these arrangements inherited Qin precedents.
19
初，高祖既定天下，過沛，與故人父老相樂，醉酒歡哀，作「風起」之詩，令沛中僮兒百二十人習而歌之。 至孝惠時，以沛宮為原廟，皆令歌兒習吹以相和，常以百二十人為員。 文、景之間，禮官肄業而已。 至武帝定郊祀之禮，祠太一於甘泉，就乾位也； 祭后土於汾陰，澤中方丘也。 乃立樂府，采詩夜誦，有趙、代、秦、楚之謳。 以李延年為協律都尉，多舉司馬相如等數十人造為詩賦，略論律呂，以合八音之調，作十九章之歌。 以正月上辛用事甘泉圜丘，使童男女七十人俱歌，昏祠至明。 夜常有神光如流星止集于祠壇，天子自竹宮而望拜，百官侍祠者數百人皆肅然動心焉。
After unifying the empire, Gaozu visited Pei, celebrated with his old community, and in drunken emotion wrote "The Wind Rises," assigning 120 local youths to perform it. Under Emperor Hui, Pei Palace became an ancestral shrine, and 120 choir youths were routinely trained to sing with instrumental accompaniment. Between the Wen and Jing reigns, ritual offices largely maintained practice through rehearsal alone. When Emperor Wu formalized suburban sacrifice, he worshiped Taiyi at Ganquan in the celestial Qian orientation; and he offered to Houtu at Fenyin, at the square altar within the marshland. He then founded the Music Bureau, gathering sung texts and nocturnal chants, including regional songs from Zhao, Dai, Qin, and Chu. With Li Yannian appointed to oversee pitch, court literati including Sima Xiangru composed new lyrics, aligning pitch theory and instrumental tuning into a nineteen-part liturgical cycle. At the upper-xin day rites of the first month at Ganquan's round altar, seventy youths sang continuously from night offering through daybreak. At night divine light like meteors often gathered on the altar; from the bamboo precinct the emperor watched and bowed, and hundreds of officials attending the rite were solemnly moved.
20
安世房中歌十七章，其詩曰：
The "Anshi Chamber Hymns" consisted of seventeen stanzas, beginning as follows:
21
大孝備矣，休德昭清。 高張四縣，樂充宮庭。 芬樹羽林，雲景杳冥，金支秀華，庶旄翠旌。
Filial piety is fulfilled; beneficent virtue stands luminous and pure. The four suspended ensembles are lifted high, and music saturates the palace court. Fragrant standards and feathered arrays glow beneath shadowed cloud-light; golden ornament flourishes amid green-plumed banners.
22
七始華始，肅倡和聲。 神來宴娭，庶幾是聽。 粥粥音送，細齊人情。 忽乘青玄，熙事備成。 清思眑眑，經緯冥冥。
At the sevenfold opening, a radiant beginning: solemn voices initiate concordant tones. The spirits arrive to banquet and delight; may they indeed be listening. Gently the tones proceed, finely attuning the emotions of humankind. Suddenly borne on deep-blue force, the splendid ceremony reaches completion. Thought turns pure and profound as hidden patterns are silently woven.
23
我定曆數，人告其心。 敕身齊戒，施教申申。 乃立祖廟，敬明尊親。 大矣孝熙，四極爰轃。
We establish calendrical order, and the people voice what lies in their hearts. Discipline oneself, complete fasting and purification, and press moral teaching onward. Then found the ancestral shrine and reverently honor the lineage. Vast is filial radiance, extending to the four corners of the world.
24
王侯秉德，其鄰翼翼，顯明昭式。 清明鬯矣，皇帝孝德。 竟全大功，撫安四極。
Princes uphold virtue, neighboring polities align in order, and exemplary norms shine forth. Purity and lucidity abound, revealing the emperor's filial virtue. The great work is brought to completion, calming and securing all four directions.
25
海內有姦，紛亂東北。 詔撫成師，武臣承德。 行樂交逆，簫、勺群慝。 肅為濟哉，蓋定燕國。
Treachery appeared within the realm, and unrest flared in the northeast. By imperial command the armies were pacified and martial officials carried out virtuous order. Ceremonial-military music confronted insurgency, subduing manifold disorder. Through solemn intervention the crisis was eased and Yan was stabilized.
26
大海蕩蕩水所歸，高賢愉愉民所懷。 大山崔，百卉殖。 民何貴？ 貴有德。
As all waters return to the sea, so the people gather their trust around great worthies. The high mountain towers, and myriad plants thrive. What do people prize most? They prize virtue above all.
27
安其所，樂終產。 樂終產，世繼緒。 飛龍秋，游上天。 高賢愉，樂民人。
Set people securely in their proper place, and they can live out life in peace. When peace endures to life's end, the lineage continues across generations. In autumn the flying dragon ascends and ranges through the upper sky. The great worthy is at ease and brings joy to the people.
28
豐草葽，女羅施。 殒何如，誰能回！ 大莫大，成教德； 長莫長，被無極。
Rich grasses grow thick, and trailing vines spread across them. When collapse approaches, who can reverse it? Nothing surpasses bringing educational virtue to completion; nothing endures longer than extending that virtue without bound.
29
雷震震，電燿燿。 明德鄉，治本約。 治本約，澤弘大。 加被寵，咸相保。 德施大，世曼壽。
Thunder rumbles violently and lightning flashes bright. Orient rule toward manifest virtue and keep governance rooted in essentials. If governance is simple at the root, its benefits expand broadly. Granting favor and protection leads people to safeguard one another. When virtue is broadly enacted, the era enjoys prolonged flourishing.
30
窅窊桂華，都荔遂芳。 孝奏天儀，若日月光。 乘玄四龍，回馳北行。 羽旄殷盛，芬哉芒芒。 孝道隨世，我署文章。 桂華。
Cassia blossoms open in hidden valleys; city groves grow fragrant. Filial piety performs heaven's rites, shining like the sun and moon. Riding four dark dragons, the procession turns and races north. Feathered banners thicken in splendor, their fragrance vast and diffuse. As filial way adapts to the age, I set these lines into record. 'Cassia Splendor.'
31
馮馮翼翼，承天之則。 吾易久遠，燭明四極。 慈惠所愛，美若休德。 杳杳冥冥，克綽永福。 美芳。
Grand and winged in bearing, they take Heaven's pattern as rule. The transformation I enact endures far and lights the world's four corners. Benevolent kindness is beloved, lovely as auspicious virtue. In deep hiddenness one can still secure enduring blessing. Fair fragrance.
32
磑磑即即，師象山則。 烏呼孝哉，案撫戎國。 蠻夷竭歡，象來致福。 兼臨是愛，終無兵革。
Measured and resonant, modeled on mountain-like steadfastness. Ah, what filial power: it settles and comforts the border lands. Outer peoples rejoice completely, and even elephants appear as auspicious tribute. Governing inclusively in this spirit, one ultimately leaves no room for war.
33
嘉薦芳矣，告靈饗矣。 告靈既饗，德音孔臧。 惟德之臧，建侯之常。 承保天休，令問不忘。
Fragrant offerings are duly presented, and it is announced that the spirits have accepted them. When the spirits have received the rite, the voice of virtue rings supremely good. Only excellent virtue can sustain the enduring order of enfeoffing lords. By preserving Heaven's blessing, honored reputation remains unforgettable.
34
皇皇鴻明，蕩侯休德。 嘉承天和，伊樂厥福。 在樂不荒，惟民之則。
In sovereign brilliance it rouses the beneficent virtue of the feudal lords. Receiving heavenly harmony well, one rejoices in the blessings it brings. Joy without extravagance becomes the norm the people follow.
35
浚則師德，下民咸殖。 令問在舊，孔容翼翼。
Thus one takes virtue as master, and the people below all flourish. Good reputation rests on inherited precedent, and dignified bearing remains disciplined.
36
孔容之常，承帝之明。 下民之樂，子孫保光。 承順溫良，受帝之光。 嘉薦令芳，壽考不忘。
Steady dignified conduct receives and reflects imperial radiance. The people's contentment preserves brightness for future generations. Through gentle obedience and kindness, one receives the emperor's light. With worthy offerings and pure fragrance, prayers for long life are sustained.
37
承帝明德，師象山則。 雲施稱民，永受厥福。 承容之常，承帝之明。 下民安樂，受福無疆。
Receiving the emperor's luminous virtue, one models oneself on mountain-like standards. Beneficence spreads like clouds among the people, and its blessing is received without end. Receiving enduring propriety, one receives imperial radiance. The populace lives securely and joyfully under limitless blessing.
38
郊祀歌十九章，其詩曰：
The songs for suburban sacrifice were in nineteen parts, beginning as follows:
39
練時日，侯有望，巽膋蕭，延四方。 九重開，靈之斿，垂惠恩，鴻祜休。 靈之車，結玄雲，駕飛龍，羽旄紛。 靈之下，若風馬，左倉龍，右白虎。 靈之來，神哉沛，先以雨，般裔裔。 靈之至，慶陰陰，相放怫，震澹心。 靈已坐，五音飭，虞至旦，承靈億。 牲繭栗，粢盛香，尊桂酒，賓八鄉。 靈安留，吟青黃，遍觀此，眺瑤堂。 眾嫭並，綽奇麗，顏如荼，兆逐靡。 被華文，廁霧縠，曳阿錫，佩珠玉。 俠嘉夜，仂蘭芳，澹容與，獻嘉觴。 練時日一
Choose the proper day and hour, wait in reverence, offer fragrant fats and ritual herbs, and extend the rite to all four quarters. As the ninefold gates open and the spirit-banner moves, grace descends with great auspicious blessing. The spirit-chariot is yoked to dark clouds, drawn by flying dragons amid whirling plumes. When the spirit comes down, swift as wind-horses, azure dragon to the left and white tiger to the right. The spirit arrives in overwhelming numinous force; rain comes first, spreading in broad flowing abundance. As the spirit descends, omens thicken and sudden brilliance stirs the heart. Once the spirit takes its seat, the five tones are set in order and worship proceeds until dawn in expectation of great blessing. Sacrificial beasts, fragrant grain, and cassia wine are presented to welcome powers from all directions. May the spirit linger in serenity, surveying the rite and gazing toward the jade hall. Attendants gather in brilliant beauty, their floral faces and moving formations filling the scene with auspicious display. Robed in patterned silk and gauze, they trail long sashes and wear pearl-and-jade ornaments. In the auspicious night, amid orchid fragrance, they move with composure and present ceremonial cups. Song One: On choosing proper times and days.
40
帝臨中壇，四方承宇，繩繩意變，備得其所。 清和六合，制數以五。 海內安寧，興文匽武。 后土富媼，昭明三光。 穆穆優游，嘉服上黃。 帝臨二
At the central altar the emperor presides; all directions are encompassed and each ritual transformation is set in proper order. Clear harmony fills the cosmos, with order measured through the fivefold numerological scheme. The realm is at peace, civil governance flourishes, and martial force is checked. The Earth Mother, abundant and nourishing, reflects the brilliance of sun, moon, and stars. With grave composure they move at leisure, clothed in exalted yellow vestments. Song Two: The emperor's arrival.
41
青陽開動，根荄以遂，膏潤并愛，跂行畢逮。 霆聲發榮，壧處頃聽，枯槁復產，乃成厥命。 眾庶熙熙，施及夭胎，群生啿啿，惟春之祺。
When spring yang opens, root and shoot flourish; nourishing moisture extends to all beings. Thunder awakens life everywhere, and even what was withered renews itself, fulfilling Heaven's charge. People rejoice, beneficence extends to the unborn, and all beings thrive: such is spring's auspicious gift.
42
青陽三鄒子樂。
"Blue Spring," the third Zouzi hymn.
43
朱明盛長，归與萬物，桐生茂豫，靡有所詘。 敷華就實，既阜既昌，登成甫田，百鬼迪嘗。 廣大建祀，肅雍不忘，神若宥之，傳世無疆。
Summer's vermilion brilliance expands with all life; vegetation grows lush and uncurtailed. Blossom becomes fruit, harvest fields ripen, and offerings are shared with the spirits. Vast solemn rites are maintained, and with divine favor the lineage continues endlessly.
44
朱明四鄒子樂。
"Vermilion Brightness," the fourth Zouzi hymn.
45
西顥沆碭，秋氣肅殺，含秀垂穎，續舊不廢。 姦偽不萌，祅孽伏息，隅辟越遠，四貉咸服。 既畏茲威，惟慕純德，附而不驕，正心翊翊。
In autumn's clear severity, grain heads mature and established order continues unbroken. Deceit and prodigy are suppressed, and distant regions submit to orderly rule. Awed by such authority, they are drawn to pure virtue, attaching themselves humbly and rectifying their hearts.
46
西顥五鄒子樂。
"Western Brightness," the fifth Zouzi hymn.
47
玄冥陵陰，蟄蟲蓋臧，屮木零落，抵冬降霜。 易亂除邪，革正異俗，兆民反本，抱素懷樸。 條理信義，望禮五嶽。 籍斂之時，掩收嘉穀。
In winter's dark yin, creatures withdraw, vegetation withers, and frost settles over the land. Disorder is corrected, corrupt customs reformed, and the people return to elemental simplicity. Set trust and righteousness in order, honoring the Five Sacred Peaks through ritual. At harvest and levy season, good grain is gathered and stored.
48
玄冥六鄒子樂。
"Dark Winter," the sixth Zouzi hymn.
49
惟泰元尊，媼神蕃釐，經緯天地，作成四時。 精建日月，星辰度理，陰陽五行，周而復始。 雲風雷電，降甘露雨，百姓蕃滋，咸循厥緒。 繼統共勤，順皇之德，鸞路龍鱗，罔不肸飾。 嘉籩列陳，庶幾宴享，滅除凶災，列騰八荒。 鐘鼓竽笙，雲舞翔翔，招搖靈旗，九夷賓將。
The Great Origin and nurturing spirits structure Heaven and Earth and generate the cycle of four seasons. Sun, moon, stars, and the five-phase yin-yang order are set in measured cyclical recurrence. Clouds, winds, thunder, and rain nourish growth, and the people multiply while following proper order. In loyal succession all serve diligently under imperial virtue, and ceremonial vehicles glitter in ornate display. Sacrificial vessels are set out for banquet and offering, warding off calamity and spreading blessing to every horizon. Bells and winds resound while cloud-dances rise; spirit banners stream and distant peoples come as guests.
50
惟泰元七建始元年，丞相匡衡奏罷「鸞路龍鱗」，更定詩曰「涓選休成」。
In Jianshi year one, Chancellor Kuang Heng petitioned to remove the phrase "phoenix carriage and dragon scales," replacing it with "carefully chosen, peacefully completed."
51
天地並況，惟予有慕，爰熙紫壇，思求厥路。 恭承禋祀，縕豫為紛，黼繡周張，承神至尊。 千童羅舞成八溢，合好效歡虞泰一。 九歌畢奏斐然殊，鳴琴竽瑟會軒朱。 璆磬金鼓，靈其有喜，百官濟濟，各敬厥事。 盛牲實俎進聞膏，神奄留，臨須搖。 長麗前掞光燿明，寒暑不忒況皇章。 展詩應律鋗玉鳴，函宮吐角激徵清。 發梁揚羽申以商，造茲新音永久長。 聲氣遠條鳳鳥启，神夕奄虞蓋孔享。
As Heaven and Earth reveal themselves, I approach the purple altar in reverence, seeking the proper ritual way. With reverent incense offering and rich ritual adornment, embroidered vesture is spread to welcome the highest spirit. A thousand youths dance in ordered eight ranks, uniting in joyful service to Taiyi. When the nine hymns conclude, qin and zithers sound together through vermilion courts in splendid accord. Jade chimes and bronze drums resound; if the spirit is pleased, all officials perform their duties with reverence. Substantial offerings are brought forward; the spirit seems to pause, present and responsive. A long brilliant glow appears; seasons keep true measure, manifesting imperial order. Verses align with pitch as jade pendants chime; tones unfold in ordered clarity. Gong and yu are raised, shang extended, forming new music meant to endure without end. Sound and vital breath travel afar; phoenix omens appear, and the spirit is richly satisfied.
52
天地八丞相匡衡奏罷「黼繡周張」，更定詩曰「肅若舊典」。
For the eighth song of Heaven and Earth, Kuang Heng petitioned to drop "embroidery spread all around" and replace it with "solemn as the ancient canon."
53
日出入安窮？ 時世不與人同。 故春非我春，夏非我夏，秋非我秋，冬非我冬。 泊如四海之池，遍觀是邪謂何？ 吾知所樂，獨樂六龍，六龍之調，使我心若。 訾黃其何不徠下！
How could the cycle of sunrise and sunset ever be exhausted? Historical ages do not move in step with any one person. So the seasons are no one person's possession: spring, summer, autumn, and winter are not mine alone. Calm as the pool of the four seas, I ask what this pervasive vision signifies. I know my joy: only the six dragons' harmony, whose tuning sets my heart at rest. Why does the yellow radiance not descend?
54
日出入九
"Sunrise-Sunset," ninth song.
55
太一況，天馬下，霑赤汗，沬流赭。 志俶儻，精權奇，逦浮雲，晻上馳。 體容與，迣萬里，今安匹，龍為友。 元狩三年馬生渥洼水中作。
When Taiyi appears, heavenly horses descend, sweating blood-red and foaming crimson. Bold in spirit and strange in power, they trail cloud-banks as they surge upward. Their bearing is effortless as they roam immense distances; none can match them, for dragons are their peers. Composed in the third year of Yuanshou on the appearance of a heavenly horse at Wuwa waters.
56
天馬徠，從西極，涉流沙，九夷服。 天馬徠，出泉水，虎脊兩，化若鬼。 天馬徠，歷無草，徑千里，循東道。 天馬徠，執徐時，將搖舉，誰與期？ 天馬徠，開遠門，竦予身，逝昆侖。 天馬徠，龍之媒，游閶闔，觀玉臺。 太初四年誅宛王獲宛馬作。
The heavenly horse comes from the far west across the sands, and distant peoples submit. The heavenly horse emerges from springs, tiger-backed and uncanny in spirit-like transformation. The heavenly horse crosses barren expanses, running a thousand li along the eastern route. The heavenly horse arrives at the appointed season, ready to soar; who can truly answer that summons? The heavenly horse opens far gates, lifting me as if toward Kunlun. The heavenly horse, mate to dragons, roams celestial gates and gazes on jade terraces. Composed in the fourth year of Taichu after defeating Dayuan and obtaining Ferghana horses.
57
天馬十
"Heavenly Horse," tenth song.
58
天門開，詄蕩蕩，穆並騁，以臨饗。 光夜燭，德信著，靈娅平而鴻，長生豫。 大朱涂廣，夷石為堂，飾玉梢以舞歌，體招搖若永望。 星留俞，塞隕光，照紫幄，珠熉黃。 幡比还集，貳雙飛常羊。 月穆穆以金波，日華燿以宣明。 假清風軋忽，激長至重觴。 神裴回若留放，殣冀親以肆章。 函蒙祉福常若期，寂漻上天知厥時。 泛泛滇滇從高斿，殷勤此路臚所求。 佻正嘉吉弘以昌，休嘉砰隱溢四方。 專精厲意逝九閡，紛云六幕浮大海。
Heaven's gate opens in sweeping vastness as the procession advances to the sacred feast. Night is lit with radiance, virtue and fidelity made visible; the numinous order is settled and life prolonged in joy. Broad vermilion avenues and stone halls are adorned with jade pendants, while dance and song sway in enduring spectacle. Stars pause and wheel, light falls across purple canopies, and pearls gleam golden. Banners converge in ranks while paired figures wheel in flight-like motion. The moon moves with golden sheen and the sun pours out brilliant light. Pure wind sweeps suddenly, enlivening the long rite as cups are offered again. The spirit circles as though lingering; in eager hope we approach and extend the ceremonial ode. Blessings are held as once promised, while lofty heaven in stillness knows the appointed hour. Following lofty banners over broad space, this ceremonial path faithfully displays its intent. Auspicious rectitude grows and prosperous blessing spills across all quarters. With concentrated intent we traverse the nine passes as cloud-masses drift across the six veils over the great sea.
59
天門十一
"Heaven's Gate," eleventh song.
60
景星顯見，信星彪列，象載昭庭，日親以察。 參侔開闔，爰推本紀，汾脽出鼎，皇祜元始。 五音六律，依韋饗昭，雜變並會，雅聲遠姚。 空桑琴瑟結信成，四興遞代八風生。 殷殷鐘石羽籥鳴。 河龍供鯉醇犧牲。 百末旨酒布蘭生。 泰尊柘漿析朝酲。 微感心攸通修名，周流常羊思所并。 穰穰復正直往甯，馮蠵切和疏寫平。 上天布施后土成，穰穰豐年四時榮。
Auspicious stars appear in ordered array and are presented before the radiant court for close observance. By cosmological correspondences we read foundational omens: the Fenyin tripod appeared as a sign of primal imperial blessing. Five tones and six pitch-standards are ritually aligned; varied musical transformations converge, sending refined sound afar. Qin and zither from Kongsang unite in concord; four modal impulses alternate and the eight winds are stirred. Bells, lithophones, and feather flutes resound in heavy rhythmic fullness. River-dragon omens present carp and rich sacrificial offerings. Many refined wines are arrayed, and orchid fragrance rises through the rite. From the great ritual cup, mulberry liquor clears the lingering morning haze. Subtle response penetrates the heart, and as thought circulates it unites with its intended object. Rich plenty returns under rectitude; through harmonizing discipline, harshness is softened into equilibrium. Heaven dispenses and Earth fulfills, yielding rich harvest years and seasonal prosperity.
61
景星十二元鼎五年得鼎汾陰作。
"Auspicious Star," twelfth song, composed in the fifth year of Yuanding after the Fenyin tripod omen.
62
齊房產草，九莖連葉，宮童效異，披圖案諜。 玄氣之精，回復此都，蔓蔓日茂，芝成靈華。
In the ritual chamber a nine-stemmed plant appeared; palace attendants verified the marvel against charts and records. The subtle essence of dark vital force returned to the capital, where sacred fungus flourished into spiritual bloom.
63
齊房十三元封二年芝生甘泉齊房作。
"Fasting Chamber," thirteenth song, composed in the second year of Yuanfeng after numinous fungus appeared at Ganquan.
64
后皇嘉壇，立玄黃服，物發冀州，兆蒙祉福。 沇沇四塞，徦狄合處，經營萬億，咸遂厥宇。
At the august earth altar, black-and-yellow vestments are donned, and omens of blessing arise across the realm. Waters and peoples converge from all borders; under vast administration, all communities secure their proper place.
65
后皇十四
"Sovereign Earth," fourteenth song.
66
華鳞鳞，固靈根。 神之斿，過天門，車千乘，敦昆侖。 神之出，排玉房，周流雜，拔蘭堂。 神之行，旌容容，騎沓沓，般縱縱。 神之徠，泛翊翊，甘露降，慶雲集。 神之揄，臨壇宇，九疑賓，夔龍舞。 神安坐，启吉時，共翊翊，合所思。 神嘉虞，申貳觴，福滂洋，邁延長。 沛施祐，汾之阿，揚金光，橫泰河，莽若雲，增陽波。 遍臚驩，騰天歌。
Shining scales glitter, confirming the strength of the sacred root. The spirit-procession passes the celestial gate, with a thousand chariots mounting toward Kunlun. When the spirit emerges, it sweeps through jeweled halls and rises from fragrant orchid chambers. In the spirit's advance, standards ripple and mounted ranks wheel in dense ceremonial motion. At the spirit's coming, brightness unfolds, sweet dew falls, and celebratory clouds assemble. As the spirit approaches the altar, distant realms appear in homage, and mythic ministers dance. The spirit settles into its seat, inaugurating a fortunate hour as all participants realize the rite's intent. As offerings continue, blessing flows abundantly, promising extended life. At Fenyin's river bend, divine favor surges like cloud-masses, casting golden light across broad waters. Rejoicing is announced throughout the realm, and hymns ascend skyward.
67
華鳞鳞十五
'Brilliant Scales,' fifteenth song.
68
五神相，包四鄰，土地廣，揚浮雲。 扢嘉壇，椒蘭芳，璧玉精，垂華光。 益億年，美始興，交於神，若有承。 廣宣延，咸畢觴，靈輿位，偃蹇驤。 卉汨臚，析奚道？ 淫淥澤，鬓然歸。
The five spiritual powers align across all frontiers, over expansive lands and lifting clouds. At the auspicious altar, aromatic offerings and polished jade glow in ceremonial brilliance. May years be extended without end as renewed splendor joins the spirits under heavenly sanction. Proclamation extends widely, libations are completed, and the spirit-car stands poised in exalted motion. Prosperity overflows, beyond easy explanation. Rich green vitality gathers and returns in complete form.
69
五神十六
'Five Spirits,' sixteenth song.
70
朝隴首，覽西垠，剨電抠，獲白麟。 爰五止，顯黃德，圖匈虐，熏鬻殛。 闢流離，抑不詳，賓百僚，山河饗。 掩回轅，鬗長馳，騰雨師，洒路陂。 流星隕，感惟風，钆歸雲，撫懷心。
At Longshou, after surveying the western frontier, lightning-like omens appeared and a white qilin was obtained. These events manifested imperial yellow virtue and marked suppression of violent steppe powers. With turmoil quelled, officials are assembled in ritual order and the landscape itself is sacralized in offering. Chariot processions turned and sped; rain-invoking powers were summoned to moisten roads and embankments. Falling stars and moving winds stirred deep emotion as omens folded back into the clouds.
71
朝隴首十七元狩元年行幸雍獲白麟作。
'Facing Longshou,' seventeenth song, composed in the first year of Yuanshou after the Yong tour and capture of a white qilin.
72
象載瑜，白集西，食甘露，飲榮泉。 赤鴈集，六紛員，殊翁雜，五采文。 神所見，施祉福，登蓬萊，結無極。
The auspicious emblem gleams like jade in the west, nourished by dew and sacred springs. Red geese assembled in auspicious formations amid multicolored omens and unusual signs. Under spiritual witness, blessings descend, linking ascent to Penglai with boundless destiny.
73
象載瑜十八太始三年行幸東海獲赤鴈作。
'Elephant Carries Jade,' eighteenth song, composed in the third year of Taishi after the Eastern Sea progress and red-goose omen.
74
赤蛟綏，黃華蓋，露夜零，晝晻濭。 百君禮，六龍位，勺椒漿，靈已醉。 靈既享，錫吉祥，芒芒極，降嘉觴。 靈殷殷，爛揚光，延壽命，永未央。 杳冥冥，塞六合，澤汪濊，輯萬國。 靈禗禗，象輿轙，票然逝，旗逶蛇。 禮樂成，靈將歸，託玄德，長無衰。
Red-dragon omens appeared beneath yellow canopies; nocturnal dew and dim daylight marked the rite. With assembled lords in ceremony and six dragons arrayed, spiced libations were offered as the spirit was delighted. After receiving the offerings, the spirit bestowed auspicious blessing to the realm's utmost limits. Radiant divine presence shines forth, extending life and enduring prosperity. In profound cosmic vastness, overflowing grace brings all polities into ordered union. The spirit, borne in ceremonial carriage, departed swiftly while banners streamed in winding lines. With ritual and music fulfilled, the spirit returns, leaving enduring mystery-virtue that does not fade.
75
赤蛟十九
'Red Dragon,' nineteenth song.
76
其餘巡狩福應之事，不序郊廟，故弗論。
Other omen events from imperial progresses fall outside the suburban-temple sequence and are omitted.
77
是時，河間獻王有雅材，亦以為治道非禮樂不成，因獻所集雅樂。 天子下大樂官，常存肄之，歲時以備數，然不常御，常御及郊廟皆非雅聲。 然詩樂施於後嗣，猶得有所祖述。 昔殷周之雅頌，乃上本有娀、姜原，镨、稷始生，玄王、公劉、古公、大伯、王季、姜女、大任、太姒之德，乃及成湯、文、武受命，武丁、成、康、宣王中興，下及輔佐阿衡、周、召、太公、申伯、召虎、仲山甫之屬，君臣男女有功德者，靡不褒揚。 功德既信美矣，褒揚之聲盈乎天地之間，是以光名著於當世，遺譽垂於無窮也。 今漢郊廟詩歌，未有祖宗之事，八音調均，又不協於鐘律，而內有掖庭材人，外有上林樂府，皆以鄭聲施於朝廷。
The Prince Xian of Hejian believed effective rule required rites and music, and submitted his compiled orthodox repertory. The court archived and rehearsed it in the Grand Music Office, but standard performances—even at suburban and temple rites—were not orthodox music. Because the poetic-musical tradition survived into later generations, a line of inheritance remained. In former times, the Ya and Song hymns of Yin and Zhou traced back to Yousong and Jiang Yuan, to the births of Xie and Hou Ji, and to the virtues of Xuan Wang, Gong Liu, Gugong, Taibo, Wang Ji, Jiang Nü, Tai Ren, and Tai Si. They then reached Cheng Tang and Kings Wen and Wu receiving the mandate, Wu Ding and Kings Cheng, Kang, and Xuan restoring the realm, and the assisting ministers A Heng, the dukes of Zhou and Shao, the Grand Duke, Shen Bo, Shao Hu, Zhongshan Fu, and their kind. No ruler or minister, man or woman, who had merit and virtue went unpraised. Because their achievements were genuinely noble, songs of praise resounded across the world, winning enduring renown for both their time and posterity. The present Han songs for the suburban and temple sacrifices do not yet contain the deeds of the ancestral founders; although the eight sounds are evenly tuned, they do not accord with the bell-pitch standards. Inside the palace there are entertainers of the harem, and outside it the Shanglin Music Bureau, and all use Zheng-style music at court.
78
至成帝時，謁者常山王禹世受可間樂，能說其義，其弟子宋嘱等上書言之，下大夫博士平當等考試。 當以為「漢承秦滅道之後，賴先帝聖德，博受兼聽，修廢官，立大學，河間獻王聘求幽隱，修興雅樂以助化。 時，大儒公孫弘、董仲舒等皆以為音中正雅，立之大樂。 春秋鄉射，作於學官，希闊不講。 故自公卿大夫觀聽者，但聞鑑鎗，不曉其意，而欲以風諭眾庶，其道無由。 是以行之百有餘年，德化至今未成。 今嘱等守習孤學，大指歸於興助教化。 衰微之學，興廢在人。 宜領屬雅樂，以繼絕表微。 孔子曰：『人能弘道，非道弘人。』 河間區區，不國藩臣，以好學修古，能有所存，民到于今稱之，況於聖主廣被之資，修起舊文，放鄭近雅，述而不作，信而好古，於以風示海內，揚名後世，誠非小功小美也。」 事下公卿，以為久遠難分明，當議復寢。
Under Emperor Cheng, the court gentleman Wang Yu of Changshan had inherited Hejian music for generations and could explain its meaning; his student Song Ye and others memorialized the throne, and Ping Dang and other academicians were ordered to examine the proposal. Ping Dang held: 'After the Han inherited a world in which Qin had destroyed the Way, it relied on the sage virtue of the former emperors, welcomed counsel from many sides, restored abolished offices, and established the Imperial Academy. King Xian of Hejian sought out hidden scholars and revived refined music to support moral transformation. Leading scholars like Gongsun Hong and Dong Zhongshu judged this repertory balanced and orthodox, and installed it in the Grand Music Office. Although seasonal archery rites existed in educational institutions, instruction became sparse and irregular. Even high officials heard only sonic effect, not ritual meaning, so music could not function as moral instruction for the populace. Hence after more than a century of practice, true ethical transformation remained unfinished. Song Ye and his colleagues preserved this isolated tradition with the explicit aim of strengthening moral instruction. When a teaching grows weak, its survival depends on human commitment. Orthodox music should be officially led and integrated, to revive broken transmission and make subtle principles visible. Confucius said, 'It is people who can enlarge the Way, not the Way that enlarges people.' Hejian was only a small domain, not a great imperial bulwark, yet because its king loved learning and restored antiquity, he was able to preserve something, and people praise him even now. How much more could a sage ruler, with his far-reaching gifts, restore the old texts, turn away from Zheng music and approach the Ya, transmit without inventing, trust in and love antiquity, and thereby instruct the empire and make his name resound in later ages. That would truly be no small achievement and no small glory.' The proposal went to senior ministers, who judged the evidence too remote to settle decisively and moved to suspend it.
79
是時，鄭聲尤甚。 黃門名倡丙彊、景武之屬富顯於世，貴戚五侯定陵、富平外戚之家淫侈過度，至與人主爭女樂。 哀帝自為定陶王時疾之，又性不好音，及即位，下詔曰：「惟世俗奢泰文巧，而鄭衛之聲興。 夫奢泰則下不孫而國貧，文巧則趨末背本者眾，鄭衛之聲興則淫辟之化流，而欲黎庶敦朴家給，猶濁其源而求其清流，豈不難哉！ 孔子不云乎？ 『放鄭聲，鄭聲淫。』 其罷樂府官。 郊祭樂及古兵法武樂，在經非鄭衛之樂者，條奏，別屬他官。」 丞相孔光、大司空何武奏：*郊祭樂人員六十二人，給祠南北郊。 *大樂鼓員六人，嘉至鼓員十人，邯鄲鼓員二人，騎吹鼓員三人，江南鼓員二人，淮南鼓員四人，巴俞鼓員三十六人，歌鼓員二十四人，楚嚴鼓員一人，梁皇鼓員四人，臨淮鼓員三十五人，茲邡鼓員三人，凡鼓十二，員百二十八人，朝賀置酒陳殿下，應古兵法。 *外郊祭員十三人，諸族樂人兼雲招給祠南郊用六十七人，兼給事雅樂用四人，夜誦員五人，剛、別柎員二人，給盛德主調篪員二人，聽工以律知日冬夏至一人，鐘工、磬工、簫工員各一人，僕射二人主領諸樂人，皆不可罷。 *竽工員三人，一人可罷。 *琴工員五人，三人可罷。 *柱工員二人，一人可罷。 *繩弦工員六人，四人可罷。 *鄭四會員六十二人，一人給事雅樂，六十一人可罷。 *張瑟員八人，七人可罷。 *安世樂鼓員二十人，十九人可罷。 *沛吹鼓員十二人，族歌鼓員二十七人，陳吹鼓員十三人，商樂鼓員十四人，東海鼓員十六人，長樂鼓員十三人，縵樂鼓員十三人，凡鼓八，員百二十八人，朝賀置酒，陳前殿房中，不應經法。 *治竽員五人，楚鼓員六人，常從倡三十人，常從象人四人，詔隨常從倡十六人，秦倡員二十九人，秦倡象人員三人，詔隨秦倡一人，雅大人員九人，朝賀置酒為樂。 楚四會員十七人，巴四會員十二人，銚四會員十二人，齊四會員十九人，蔡謳員三人，齊謳員六人，竽瑟鐘磬員五人，皆鄭聲，可罷。 *師學百四十二人，其七十二人給大官挏馬酒，其七十人可罷。 大凡八百二十九人，其三百八十八人不可罷，可領屬大樂，其四百四十一人不應經法，或鄭衛之聲，皆可罷。 奏可。 然百姓漸漬日久，又不制雅樂有以相變，豪富吏民湛沔自若，陵夷壞于王莽。
At that time, decadent Zheng-style music was especially rampant. Famous Yellow Gate performers such as Bing Qiang and Jing Wu grew fabulously wealthy, while the consort kin of the five marquises at Dingling and Fuping lived with such excess that they even competed with the emperor for female musicians. Emperor Ai had resented this since his days as king of Dingtao, and by nature disliked music; upon taking the throne he issued an edict: 'The age has grown extravagant, ornate, and artful, and the music of Zheng and Wei has risen with it. Extravagance makes inferiors disrespectful and the state poor; artifice turns multitudes from the root to the branch; when Zheng and Wei music rises, licentious ways spread abroad—yet to expect plain folk and full households while fouling the source and then asking for clear water: is that not impossible? Did Confucius not say? 'Banish the music of Zheng; the music of Zheng is licentious.' Abolish the Music Bureau. Suburban-sacrifice music and ancient martial music preserved in the classics, which are not the music of Zheng and Wei, should be itemized in memorial and reassigned to other offices.' Chancellor Kong Guang and Grand Minister of Works He Wu submitted a memorial: suburban-sacrifice musicians, sixty-two persons, for rites at the southern and northern suburbs. Grand Music drummers, six; Jiazhi drummers, ten; Handan drummers, two; mounted-blow drummers, three; Jiangnan drummers, two; Huainan drummers, four; Bayu drummers, thirty-six; song drummers, twenty-four; Chu Yan drummers, one; Liang Huang drummers, four; Linhuai drummers, thirty-five; Zifang drummers, three—twelve drum types in all, one hundred twenty-eight persons—for court congratulations and banquets arrayed below the hall, in accord with ancient military pattern. Outer suburban-sacrifice personnel, thirteen; various-clan musicians including Yunzhao for southern-suburb rites, sixty-seven; also serving elegant music, four; night-recitation personnel, five; Gang and Biefu personnel, two; Shengde chief chi-tuning personnel, two; one pitch specialist who marks winter and summer solstice by pitch; one bell worker, one stone-chime worker, and one flute worker; two stewards supervising all musicians—all indispensable. Yu craftsmen, three; one may be abolished. Qin craftsmen, five; three may be abolished. Bridge craftsmen, two; one may be abolished. String craftsmen, six; four may be abolished. Zheng Sihui personnel, sixty-two; one serving elegant music, sixty-one may be abolished. Zhang-se personnel, eight; seven may be abolished. Anshi Music drummers, twenty; nineteen may be abolished. Pei-blow drummers, twelve; clan-song drummers, twenty-seven; Chen-blow drummers, thirteen; Shang-music drummers, fourteen; Donghai drummers, sixteen; Changle drummers, thirteen; Man-music drummers, thirteen—eight drum types in all, one hundred twenty-eight persons—for court congratulations and banquets arrayed in the front-hall chambers, not in accord with canonical law. Yu-regulating personnel, five; Chu drummers, six; regular attendant singers, thirty; regular attendant masqueraders, four; edict-attendant regular singers, sixteen; Qin singers, twenty-nine; Qin-singer masqueraders, three; edict-attendant Qin singers, one; Ya-da personnel, nine—for court congratulations and banquets as entertainment. Chu Sihui personnel, seventeen; Ba Sihui, twelve; Yao Sihui, twelve; Qi Sihui, nineteen; Cai-ou personnel, three; Qi-ou personnel, six; yu, se, bell, and stone-chime personnel, five—all Zheng music and may be abolished. Teacher-students, one hundred forty-two; of these seventy-two supply foaled-horse wine to the Grand Steward, and seventy may be abolished. In all, eight hundred twenty-nine persons; three hundred eighty-eight cannot be abolished and may be placed under Grand Music; four hundred forty-one do not accord with canonical law or are the music of Zheng and Wei—all may be abolished. The memorial was approved. Yet the people had been steeped in it for so long, and no orthodox music was instituted to counter it; wealthy officials and commoners wallowed in it as before, until custom decayed and collapsed under Wang Mang.
80
今海內更始，民人歸本，戶口歲息，平其刑辟，牧以賢良，至於家給，既庶且富，則須庠序禮樂之教化矣。 今幸有前聖遺制之威儀，誠可法象而補備之，經紀可因緣而存著也。
Now the realm has renewed itself, the people have returned to their roots, households and population grow year by year, punishments have been made fair, and governance is entrusted to worthy and good men. Once households are supplied, numerous, and wealthy, what is needed is educational transformation through schools, rites, and music. Because inherited sage-era ritual forms still survive, they can be taken as models, completed, and used to preserve coherent institutions.
81
孔子曰：「殷因於夏禮，所損益，可知也； 周因於殷禮，所損益，可知也； 其或繼周者，百世可知也。」 今大漢繼周，久曠大儀，未有立禮成樂，此賈宜、仲舒、王吉、劉向之徒所為發憤而增嘆也。
Confucius said, 'Shang inherited Xia ritual, and its additions and subtractions are intelligible; Zhou inherited Shang ritual, and its modifications are likewise knowable; and whoever succeeds Zhou can be understood even a hundred generations later.' Han stands in Zhou's succession, yet has long left major ceremonial institutions incomplete; that is why thinkers like Jia Yi, Dong Zhongshu, Wang Ji, and Liu Xiang spoke with such urgency and regret.