Listen to this articleshěn yīn zhī zhèng 审音知政
Assess Governance by Listening to Music
通过审察音乐了解一个国家的政治教化情况。是儒家文艺观的具体体现。儒家认为，乐为心声，能传达人的情感和感受，因此，国家政治是否清明、百姓生活是否富足、社会风气是否淳厚，往往会通过音乐表现出来。《左传》记载，春秋时期吴国公子季札出使鲁国，观赏鲁国人演奏的周代不同国家或地区的音乐，并据此评析音乐中所反映出的各国治政状况。这应该是审音知政的源头。这一思想方式产生于秦汉时期，它打通了艺术和政治的界限，将艺术审美活动导向社会现实生活，体现出儒家文艺观以政教为本的特点，使中国古代文艺理论染上了浓郁的政治伦理色彩。
This term is an example of Confucian literary thinking. Confucian scholars believed that music gave expression to people’s thinking and emotions, so a country’s music reflected whether government integrity was upheld, whether people enjoyed prosperity, and whether the social atmosphere was amiable and sincere. According to Zuo’s Commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals, during his diplomatic mission to the State of Lu in the Spring and Autumn Period, Prince Jizha of the State of Wu learned about the governance of various states and regions at the time by listening to their music performed by the people of Lu. This should be the origin of the term “assessing governance by listening to music.” This concept first emerged in the Qin and Han dynasties, which removed the boundary between art and government and made artistic aesthetics a part of public life. It gave expression to Confucian literary thinking which was based on governance and ethics and added a political and ethical dimension to the ancient Chinese literary and art theory.
引例 Citations：
◎是故治世之音安以乐，其政和；乱世之音怨以怒，其政乖；亡国之音哀以思，其民困。声音之道，与政通矣。（《礼记·乐记》）
（所以，太平时代的音乐安详欢乐，这是因为政治宽和的缘故；动乱时代的音乐充满了怨恨与愤怒，这是因为政治混乱的缘故；国家将亡时的音乐充满了悲哀忧思，这是因为民众困苦不堪的缘故。音乐所反映出的道理，与一个国家的政治是相通的。）
Hence, the music in time of peace indicates serenity and happiness because of good governance. The music in time of disorder indicates dissatisfaction and anger because of political turmoil. The music of a state on the verge of collapse reveals sorrow and anxiety because its people are in distress. So there is a connection between the music of a state and its governance. (The Book of Rites)
◎凡音者，生于人心者也。乐者，通伦理者也。是故知声而不知音者，禽兽是也。知音而不知乐者，众庶是也。唯君子为能知乐。是故审声以知音，审音以知乐，审乐以知政，而治道备矣。（《礼记·乐记》）
（凡是乐音，都是从人的内心产生。音乐则和社会的伦理相通。因此，知道声响但不懂得更高级乐音的，是禽兽。知道乐音但不懂得更高级音乐的，是众人。只有君子才能懂得音乐。因此，审察声响可以知晓乐音，审察乐音可以知晓音乐，审察音乐可以知晓一个国家的治政情况，如此则治理国家的方法就齐备了。）
All musical sounds come from human mind. Music is connected with social ethics. Therefore, those who know sounds but do not know the modulations are animals; those who know the modulations but do not know music are the common folk. Only men of virtue can really appreciate music. Therefore, one must examine sounds in order to know its modulations, and examine the modulations in order to know music. One must examine the music in order to assess governance. And so the way of governance is complete! (The Book of Rites)
