Listen to this articlezǐ zhī duó zhū 紫之夺朱
Purple Prevailing over Red
指社会生活与文学艺术等领域以邪乱正、真伪混淆的现象。朱指红色，古人认为是正色，而紫色则看作杂色，“夺”是胜过的意思。孔子对于在春秋时期出现邪正不分、淫靡的音乐取代雅正音乐的现象十分反感，提出要加以正本清源、拨乱反正。南朝刘勰借此批评有的作者在文章写作上背离了儒家经典，迎合人们的猎奇心理。后世以此倡导确立儒家的文学标准与规范。
This refers to evil prevailing over good and falsehood being mistaken for truth in literature and art as well as in social life. It is red, not purple, that was viewed as a truly proper color by the ancient Chinese. Confucius, upset by the loss of judgment over good and evil, and by the fact that vulgar music was taking the place of refined classical music in the Spring and Autumn Period, called for dispelling confusion and putting things in the right order. With this in mind, Liu Xie of the Southern Dynasties criticized some writers for abandoning Confucian teachings and catering to vulgar tastes. Scholars of later generations used this notion to reaffirm Confucian criteria and norms for literary creation.
引例 Citations：
◎子曰：“恶紫之夺朱也，恶郑声之乱雅乐也，恶利口之覆邦家者。”（《论语·阳货》）
（孔子说：“我厌恶用紫色取代红色，厌恶用郑国的音乐扰乱雅正的音乐，憎恶伶牙俐齿而使国家倾覆的人。”）
Confucius said, “I detest replacing red with purple and interfering refined classical music with the music of the State of Zheng. I loathe those who overthrow the state with their glib tongues.” (The Analects)
◎辞为肌肤，志实骨髓。雅丽黼黻，淫巧朱紫。（刘勰《文心雕龙·体性》）
（文辞好比文章的肌肤，作者的思想感情才是文章的骨髓。高雅的文章犹如上古礼服所绣的花纹那样华丽庄重，过分追求辞藻与技巧则如同杂色搅乱了正色。）
Rhetoric is like the skin of an essay; the writer’s thoughts and feelings are its marrow. A piece of elegant writing is like the embroidery on a ceremonial gown in ancient times – magnificent and dignified. Excessive focus on rhetoric and technique, however, is no different from an abnormal color taking the place of a truly proper one. (Liu Xie: The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons)
