Both Governance and Music Playing Pursue Harmony

治理國家就像演奏音樂，而演奏音樂則要追求樂曲和諧。這一命題出自《國語·周語下》，是先秦樂論中的一個重要思想。它強調治理國家與演奏音樂有共通之處。樂有五音，各種樂器不論聲音大小高低，只有聲音和諧平正，相互協調、彼此應和，方能成就完美的樂曲。治理國家亦是追求不同聲音、不同力量的均平和諧。從音樂本身來說，“和”是不同聲音的和諧與統一，并非聲音完全相同。完全相同的聲音，是單調無益的，而和諧的聲音不僅提供愉悅的審美感受，還能有益于民眾德行的培養，使其性情平和，最終有助于社會政治理想局面的形成。

Governance of a country is like playing music, which pursues harmony. This concept is first found in Discourses on Governance of the States. It is an important part of music theory from the pre-Qin period and highlights the similarity between the two. Traditional Chinese music contains five musical notes. Musical instruments, varying in volume, will not be deemed perfect unless they sound concordant and poised, complementing and echoing each other. In governing a country, the ruler should also strike an equilibrium between different voices and forces. So far as music itself is concerned, "harmony" does not mean homogeneity; rather, it refers to a diversity of melodies integrated into a harmonious whole. A uniform voice is unpleasant and dull. A harmonious voice, on the other hand, not only provides a delightful aesthetic experience but also enhances people's moral well-being. This will make them mild in temperament, thus creating an ideal situation of social and political stability.

引例 Citations：

◎夫政象樂，樂從和，和從平。聲以和樂，律以平聲。（《國語·周語下》）

治理國家就像演奏音樂，演奏音樂則要追求樂曲和諧，而樂曲和諧則要音聲均平。聲音的高低使樂曲和諧，樂調的不同則使聲音均平。

To achieve harmony, a musician maintains an equilibrium between different parts of a composition. Variation in levels of sound makes the melody harmonious, and alternation in pitch creates an overall effect of proportionality. A ruler governs his country in much the same way. (Discourses on Governance of the States)

◎和平則久，久固則純，純明則終，終復則樂，所以成政也，故先王貴之。（《國語·周語下》）

聲音和諧均平才能演奏持久，演奏持久穩定才能聲音純正，聲音純正明晰才能奏完一遍，然后從頭開始循環往復才成就完整的樂曲，明白這個道理就可以成就政事，所以先王十分重視音律的和諧。

Maintaining a balance between voices allows a musical performance to run its own natural course. This, in turn, makes that performance sound pure. Purity and clarity help the progress of the music until the whole piece is completed. A ruler who understands this will run his country well. Therefore, the ancient kings placed great value on musical harmony. (Discourses on Governance of the States)

推薦：教育部 國家語委

供稿：北京外國語大學 外語教學與研究出版社

責任編輯：錢耐安