Two Readings of the Lunyu: With and Without the Edifying Effect of Music and the Complementary Concept of “Ritual and Music”

• Published in: Yugyo munhwa yŏnʼgu. Vol. 30; pp. 29 - 52
• Main Author: Jo Jungeun(趙貞恩)
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 성균관대학교 유교문화연구소 01.08.2018; 유교문화연구소
• Subjects: 유교학; Yuelun; 互補式“禮樂”槪念; Yueji; Lunyu; “樂”的倫理價値; 《禮記》〈樂記; 論語; “樂”的敎化作用; edifying effect of music; complementary concept of “ritual and music; ethical value of music; 《荀子》〈樂論
• ISSN: 1598-267X; 2734-1356
• DOI: 10.22916/jcpc.2018..30.29

The notions of the edifying effect of music and the complementary functions of ritual (li 禮) and music (yue 樂), which are emphasized in the “Yuelun” chapter of the Xunzi and the “Yueji” chapter of the Liji, would not be valid in the Lunyu if we consider the possibility that those ideas were formulated after the Lunyu. Although the Lunyu could perceive music from an ethical viewpoint, it is highly improbable that the Lunyu acknowledges music exerting an edifying effect based on its ethical value. If this effect is not valid, the complementary relationship between ritual and music is also inapplicable to the Lunyu. The concept of “ritual and music” appears to first gain conceptual significance in the Lunyu; however, music is not discussed as a complementary counterpart to ritual but as a subordinate concept of ritual, in that music is mainly portrayed in a ceremonial context where music forms a part of ritual performance. In spite of the questionable validity of understanding the Lunyu based on the edifying effect of music and the complementary functions of ritual and music, these ideas are presumed when interpreting some of the passages of the Lunyu, including Lunyu 17.4, 11.15, 13.3, and 17.11. These ideas are not necessarily assumed when understanding those passages; on the contrary, considering the possibility of those concepts emerging after the Lunyu, a more convincing interpretation of the Lunyu can be made by maintaining a distance from those notions. KCI Citation Count: 0