Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms, Volume 73

The position of Geng The seventh of the Ten Heavenly Stems, associated with the direction West-Southwest in the Southwest corresponds to the Southern Pipe (Nanlü) and the note Yu The fifth note of the pentatonic scale, roughly equivalent to 'La'. It is said: Top is 9, Shang is 8, Yu is 7, Jue is 6, Gong is 5, and Zhi is 9. Take the number one and triple it three times to establish the divisor 1 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 27. When the dividend is calculated according to this divisor, the resulting length is one cun An ancient Chinese inch.

The rule for the dimensions of the Yellow Bell The foundational pitch pipe is located in the You The tenth Earthly Branch, associated with the West and the Rooster palace at the number 5. Reaching this point, it aligns with Zhi at 9; these are all transformed because of the note Yu. What is referred to as the "Six Changes," "Eight Changes," and "Nine Changes" of ritual music can be fully explained through these numerical calculations.

In the nature of sound, the "Great" The largest or most foundational sound does not exceed the note Gong, and the "Small" The finest or highest sound does not exceed the note Yu, while Jue The third note of the pentatonic scale, roughly 'Mi' acts as the middle sound.

Therefore, when the singers ascend to the hall above, they tap and strike the sounding jade chimes original: "戛擊鳴球" (jiaji mingqiu), a classical reference to the Book of Documents describing harmonious ritual music, while the flutes below are accompanied by the striking and patting of stone chimes. Sound resides within numbers; is this not how the Primal Qi of the Great Ultimate (Taiji) "contains three within one"? A numerological concept where the unity of the Tao contains the potential for the three realms: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

In the beginning, one is tripled. When the music is completed and performed, however many notes rise or fall, they are governed by the middle sound. Bells favor the note Yu, while stone chimes favor Jue, yet they are all unified by the Qin and Se Traditional plucked zithers, which favor Gong. Thus it is said: "Poetry is that in which the middle sound comes to rest."

By observing the positions of Chen The Dragon, associated with the East/Southeast and You The Rooster, associated with the West, one can understand that Jue and Yu are the essential measures for the degrees of musical performance. This is consistent with the Monthly Ordinances (Yueling), the Tongju Likely a reference to the 'Tongjun' or specific ancient musical canons, the Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lü (Lüshi Chunqiu), and the Huainanzi...