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| Zisi's Educational Philosophy and the Concept of “Education through Music” |
| Wang Qizhou |
| (School of Chinese Language and Literature， Hubei Literary Theory and Criticism Research Center， Central China Normal University， Wuhan 430079) |
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Abstract Zisi's Doctrine of the Mean inherits Confucius fundamental tenets of Confucian education， expounding the philosophy that “nature is the mandate of Heaven； following nature is the Way； and cultivating the Way is teaching.” He identifies “sincerity” as the crucial guarantee for achieving the goals of Confucian education， arguing that “The sincere man represents the Way of Heaven； the practice of sincerity is the Way of man. The sincere man realizes truth without effort， attains without reflection， and calmly follows the middle path， which is the way of the sage. For man in pursuit of sincerity， it means to choose the good and adheres to it.” Thus， he reveals the “Confucian teaching method”. Drawing on the literature from the unearthed Chu bamboo slips such as “The Five Elements” and “Nature Derived from Destiny，” we see that Zisi regarded Confucian education as “humanistic” education， aimed at “cultivating the inside virtue”. Here， “inside” refers to “nature mandated by Heaven”， and “virtue” refers to the “five elements”(benevolence， righteousness， propriety， wisdom， and sageliness) which “operate from the inside” and are rooted in Heaven's mandate. The “sagely” virtue is sincerity， inherent in all people without any effort to seek it， and therefore every man can become a sage. This virtue is the harmony of the Five Elements. “Harmony brings joy， joy brings virtue”， and “without joy， there is no virtue”. The sagely virtue， embodied in joy， must be cultivated through “music education”. Confucian “education through music” is not merely musical training， but rather a “humanistic” education that nurtures a gentleman's character and fosters a joyful spirit. Therefore， Zisi's advocacy of the “harmony of the Five Elements” and “joy brings virtue” through “music education” not only represents a new development of Confucius' thought but also ushers in a new stage in Confucian education.
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Received: 11 October 2025
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2025, Vol. 64 
