“正始之音”论

On "the Voice of Zhengshi"

古代典籍中的"正始之音"或为玄学概念,或为音乐概念,或为文学概念。作为玄学概念的"正始之音",指魏晋清谈风尚;作为音乐概念的"正始之音",指具有中和之美的纯正音乐;作为文学概念的"正始之音",指作品寓意深邃,内容纯正,风格古雅,音节谐美。"正始之音"作为典故用时又常指一种优良传统。因此,将"正始之音"作为以阮籍、嵇康为代表的正始文学的代称并非不可,但易引起混乱,须加以明确界定及必要说明。

The so- called ＂Voice of Zhengshi＂ of the ancient scriptures means either a metaphysic concept, either a music concept, or a literary concept. As the metaphysic concept, it refers to the discourse style of the Wei and Jin Dynasty; as the music concept, it refers to pure music with mild and moderate beauty; as the literary concept, it means that the literary work is characterized by profound moral, pure content, elegant style, and harmonious and beautiful rhythms. When using as quotations, the ＂Voice of Zhengshi＂ usually means a good tradition. Therefore, it is not unacceptable if we use ＂the Voice of Zhengshi＂ to refer to the formal literature represented by Ruan Ji and Ji Kang, but it is easy to get confused. Thus, it is necessary to make definite division and explanation.