Page 135 - 2022(1) International Confusion Studies

128 J. Yuan

Being mild and gentle, sincere and broadminded results from the study of The Book
of Songs.
However, being excessively mild and gentle is equivalent to being foolish,
since Kong Yingda explained the statement “Whoever is obsessed with The Book of
Songs is foolish” as follows: “The Book of Songs advocates the need to be mild and
gentle, but whoever can’t exercise moderation is foolish.” According to Confu-
cianism, excess is just as bad as not enough. If one is too mild, gentle, and dull, it
will be counterproductive and make people become pedantic, and those who are
wise will only seek harmony. If one is mild and gentle, sincere and broadminded
but does not go so far as to become foolish, this is because one has a deep un-
derstanding of The Book of Songs, and this is also the ideal state of a mild and
gentle, sincere and broadminded personality. Confucius’ doctrine of the mean can
equally be applied to the concept of being mild and gentle, sincere and broad-
minded in The Book of Songs. In a sense, the concept of being mild and gentle,
sincere and broadminded in The Book of Songs is an elaboration of Confucius’
doctrine of the mean and an idea based on The Book of Songs that Confucian
scholars of the Han Dynasty introduced into the teaching of The Book of Songs.
As far as personality is concerned, the concept of being mild and gentle,
sincere and broadminded cultivates “the persistent implementation of the
doctrine of the mean” as a virtue and make it a conscious state of personality.
According to Confucianism, the sages have advocated this idea of character
throughout the ages. In the chapter “Shun Dian” of the legendary classic The Book
,
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of History (《尚书 · 舜典》 it is written: “The emperor Shun (舜) said: ‘Kui (夔),
I appoint you to be in charge of music, and to teach the sons of the nobility, so that
they may be upright and gentle, generous and discerning in their dealings, firm but
not violent, and simple but not arrogant in their attitudes. Poetry is used to express
thoughts and feelings, and songs are sung to express such thoughts and feelings.
The songs should be consistent with the thoughts and feelings, and should also be
in harmony with the rhythm. The eight types of musical instruments should be able
to play in harmony and should not be used in a disorderly manner, so that both
deities and humans will feel happy and harmonious when they hear them.’” Kong
Yingda explained “upright and gentle” by saying, “teach the sons of the nobility to
be upright and gentle, magnanimous and dignified” (Ruan, 2009, p. 276). This
refers to the humanistic character achieved by the teaching of The Book of Music.
Confucianism emphasizes that the inner world of a person must be perceived
in his or her outer appearance; therefore, gentle character is also manifested
through courteous manners and dress. In The Book of Rites, this idea recurs
repeatedly, emphasizing that a gentleman should carry out his or her gentle and
faithful character with dress and manners, in both rituals and in daily life, while
consciously improving moral cultivation. However, during the period of 220–420,