Welcome to Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art,

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art ›› 2020, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (2): 68-79.

• Classical Literary Theory and Criticism • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Elegance and Naturalness: Two Aesthetic Dimensions of Traditional Chinese Thought on the Qin Music

Zhang Jing, Zhao Shuzhi   

  1. the School of Humanities of Communication University of China
  • Online:2020-03-25 Published:2020-04-26
  • About author:Zhang Jing, Ph. D, is a professor at the School of Humanities of Communication University of China. Her research interests include classical Chinese poetics and aesthetics. Zhao Shuzhi is a master student at the School of humanities of Communication University of China. His research interests include classical Chinese poetics and aesthetics.

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Abstract:

The qin (a type of seven-stringed plucked musical instrument) music plays a very important role in traditional Chinese traditional culture. The qin is the most frequently used musical instrument in classical Chinese literature and is representative of elegant music. The rich history of the qin music has engendered engendered profound traditional aesthetic thought on it, which has two important dimensions: 1) the concept of "elegance" that centers on the idea of "music as education" in Confucian ideology, and 2) the concept of "naturalness" with that has its origins in Daoist thought. These two concepts become unified in the prolonged history of the practice of traditional Chinese qin music, and have significantly influencedits creation and interpretation. The dimensions of "elegance" and "naturalness" have shaped the aesthetic character of traditional Chinese qin music, and are the ideological source of its perpetual vitality.

Key words: thought on the qin music, elegance, naturalness, aesthetic dimensions