The Huainanzi text (淮南子 presented in 139 b.c.e. compiled by Liu An 劉安 179–122 b.c.e.), while defining itself as a political guide, is replete with references to Music (yue 樂) itself and music-related terms. While no chapter of the work’s twenty-one chapters is specifically dedicated to the subject of music, no single chapter of it is without musical references. This gives rise to the question: Which functions could music possibly have in such an overtly political text?What this article will examine are the interactions between music and the social and political spheres in the Huainanzi. An analysis of the text’s musical references reveals an intriguing, multidimensional attitude toward music, touching upon moral discourse, discourse on political power, cosmological perceptions, and much more.The article suggests a dual function of music in the text—on the one hand, music serves as a rhetorical tool for the authors of the Huainanzi, and on the other hand, it is a subject of discussion in its own right. For each of these functions of music, a model is proposed. The first model depicts the innovative musical conceptions of the Huainanzi; the second demonstrates how, through an analysis of musical references in the text, a model of sagely rulership is revealed. These models are illustrated and embodied in the human realm.

中文翻译：

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呼应统治——理解淮南子的音乐参考

这淮南子文字（淮南子呈现于139公元前Liu An 刘安 179–122 编公元前），虽然将自己定义为政治指南，但充满了对音乐的引用（月乐) 本身和音乐相关的条款。虽然这部作品的二十一章中没有一章是专门针对音乐主题的，但也没有一章没有音乐方面的参考。这就引出了一个问题：在如此公开的政治文本中，音乐可能具有哪些功能？本文将研究的是音乐与社会和政治领域之间的相互作用。淮南子. 对文本音乐参考的分析揭示了一种有趣的、多维的音乐态度，涉及道德话语、政治权力话语、宇宙观等等。文章提出了音乐在文本中的双重功能——一方面，音乐作为作​​者的修辞工具淮南子，另一方面，它本身就是一个讨论的主题。对于音乐的这些功能中的每一个，都提出了一个模型。第一个模型描绘了创新的音乐概念淮南子; 第二个展示了如何通过对文本中的音乐参考的分析，揭示了一种圣洁统治的模式。这些模型在人类领域得到说明和体现。