Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms, Volume 73

The Eight Soundsoriginal: "Bayin" (八音); the ancient Chinese system of classifying musical instruments by their material: metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourd, clay, leather, and wood. are used to direct the Eight Winds. For this reason, the number of dancers in the ritual rows and the number of bronze bells and stone chimes both use eight as their base. Furthermore, those who sing the ritual poems in the hall number four, and those who play the se zithers number four; with the arrangement of "one lead singer and three joining in praise," this also employs eight people. Although the singing and the instrumental accompaniment are distinct parts of the ceremony, they are truly interconnected.

The Feather and Flute original: "Yuyue" (羽籥); the ritual props held by Civil dancers, symbolizing grace and harmony. performers begin their movements with the pitch of the Yellow Bell original: "Huangzhong" (黃鍾); the fundamental pitch of the Chinese gamut.. The Great Lyre original: "Dalu" (大呂) responds through the pitches of Old Purification original: "Guxi" (姑洗) and the Southern Lyre original: "Nanlü" (南呂); this is referred to as the connection between the Dragon and the Rooster original: "Chen-You" (辰酉); referring to the alignment of these positions on the ritual compass.. By using the South to represent the South Wind, the pitches of Equalizing Rule original: "Yize" (夷則) and the Mean Lyre original: "Zhonglü" (中呂) both become the "Clear Jue" tone. In this way, the Civil elements are merged with the Military.

The Shield and Battle-axe original: "Ganqi" (干戚); the ritual props held by Military dancers, symbolizing strength and the restoration of order. performers begin their movements with the pitch of Luxuriant Vegetation original: "Ruibin" (蕤賓). The Forest Bell original: "Hanzhong" (函鍾) responds through the pitches of Not Echoing original: "Wuyi" (無射) and the Pressed Bell original: "Jiazhong" (夾鍾); this is referred to as the connection between the Dog and the Rabbit original: "Xu-Mao" (戌卯). By using the North to represent the North Wind, the pitches of the Great Cluster original: "Taicu" (太簇) and the Echoing Bell original: "Yingzhong" (應鍾) both become the "Flowing Zhi" tone. In this way, the Military elements are merged with the Civil.

The North enters the South, and the Yin enters the Yang, in order to join with the harmony of the breath of life. This guides the movement of the Five Constants original: "Wuchang" (五常); the five cardinal virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and fidelity, which correspond to the Five Elements.. Its rhythmic system follows the Hidden Soundsoriginal: "Nayin" (納音); a sophisticated method of assigning musical qualities to the sixty-year cycle of the Chinese calendar. and the principle of Marrying at the Eighth Intervaloriginal: "Geba er qu" (隔八而娶); the mathematical method of generating the twelve pitches by moving seven steps forward in the series to the eighth pipe, alternating between adding and subtracting length., where returning to the opposing positions creates a unified whole.

For instance, the calendar signs of Jia-Zi and Yi-Chou, Ren-Shen and Gui-You, and Geng-Chen and Xin-Si are all associated with the element of Metal. The signs of Jia-Wu, Yi-Wei, Ren-Yin, Gui-Mao, Geng-Xu, and Xin-Hai are likewise the same. This is because Metal corresponds to the Shang Tone; the Grand Master of Music original: "Taishi" (太師) carefully examines the Shang tone and divides it accordingly.