Classic of Music

{{Short description|Lost Confucian classic text}}

{{italic title}}

{{Infobox Chinese

|title=Classic of Music

|t={{linktext|樂經}}

|s=乐经

|p=Yuèjīng

|w=Yüeh⁴-ching¹

|mi={{IPAc-cmn|yue|4|.|j|ing|1}}

|y=Ngohk-gīng

|j=Ngok6 ging1

|tl=Ga̍k-king

|mc={{IPA|/ŋˠʌk̚ keŋ/}}

|oc-zz={{IPA|/*ŋraːwɢ keːŋ/}}

}}

The Classic of Music ({{zh|t=樂經}}) was a Confucian classic text lost by the time of the Han dynasty. It is sometimes referred to as the "Sixth Classic" (for example, by Sima QianWatson, 1969: p. 11, from chapter 61, biography on Boyi and Shuqi) and is thought to have been important in the traditional interpretations of the Classic of Poetry."[http://www.talesofoldchina.com/journal/1926/t-cj2601-4.htm The Shih Ching or Book of Poetry] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050909102213/http://www.talesofoldchina.com/journal/1926/t-cj2601-4.htm |date=2005-09-09 }}". The China Journal of Science and Arts, Vol. IV, No. I (Jan 1926). Accessed 17 Oct 2005.

Qing dynasty scholar Shao Yichen (邵懿辰, 1810{{ndash}}1861) proposed that the book never existed, but more usually it is thought that all copies were destroyed during the burning of books and burying of scholars.

A few traces remain in other surviving works, including the Zuo Zhuan, the Rites of Zhou, and the extremely redacted, poor-quality Record of Music contained in the Classic of Rites. As accounted in the Book of Han, Dou Gong 竇公 (5-4 cc. BC), a musician of the state of Wei possessed a copy of the Classic of Music which was presented to the Emperor Han Wen-di. However, the text is associated with the Da siyue (大宗伯) section of the Rites of Zhou. Leading to the belief that the Classic of Music is a section of the Rites of Zhou itself.

In 2022, Luke Waring has suggested that there is not enough convincing evidence that a music classic existed during the Warring States era in the first place. However, this topic remains heavily debated amongst scholars.{{Cite journal |last=Waring |first=Luke |title=Who Said There Was a Classic of Music? |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/early-china/article/abs/who-said-there-was-a-classic-of-music/A6D9D81606DBCF10101DC3E929E5DFB5 |journal=Early China |year=2022 |language=en |volume=45 |pages=467–514 |doi=10.1017/eac.2022.3 |s2cid=252909258 |issn=0362-5028}}