弘明集 1.36

1.36

Mouzi said: The supreme flavor does not suit every palate; the grand sound does not appeal to every ear. When the Xianchi is performed and the Dachang is mounted, when the Xiaoshao is played and the Nine Variations sung, none join in harmony. But when the strings of Zheng and Wei are plucked and the melodies of contemporary vulgar fashion are sung, people inevitably clap their hands without prior accord. Therefore Song Yu said: When a guest sang in Ying, at the songs of the lower villages, thousands joined in harmony; but when he struck the Shang tone and stirred the Jiao note, none of the multitude responded. These all delight in depraved sounds and do not understand grand measures. Han Fei, with his view from looking through a tube, reproached Yao and Shun; Jieyu, with his petty discriminations of hair and down, censured Zhongni. Both were fascinated by the petty and neglected the grand. When one hears the pure Shang tone and calls it Jiao, it is not the fault of the string player; it is the hearer's lack of discernment. When one sees the jade of He and calls it a stone, it is not because the jade is base; it is because the viewer lacks clear sight. A divine serpent can sever itself and rejoin, yet it cannot keep a man from being severed. The numinous tortoise sent a dream to the Duke Yuan of Song, yet it could not escape the net of Yu Ju. The Great Dao is non-action, not what the vulgar can see. It is not made noble by those who praise it, nor made base by those who slander it. Whether it is used or not depends on Heaven; whether it is practiced or not depends on the times; whether it is believed or not depends on destiny.