Music conforming to virtue reflects the standard of social morality and the high levels of people’s moral character. It is thus the ideal type of music for music education upheld by Confucianism. When the state was stable and orderly, sages established six different rhythms of huangzhong (黄钟), taicu (太簇), guxian (姑洗), ruibin (蕤宾), yize (夷则), and wuyi (无射), and modulated the arrangement and ratio of musical notes on the five-tone scale of gong (宫),shang (商), jue (角), zhi (徵), and yu (羽) (roughly corresponding to 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 in the numbered musical notation), representing music conforming to virtue. Such music epitomized the court hymns and eulogies. Morality is believed to be the root of humanity, and music conforming to virtue educates and edifies the populace, adjusting their behavior to the heavenly way and enhancing their moral integrity. One who has entered the realm of virtue experiences harmony between heaven and earth, enjoys inner peace, which thereby promotes an ethically harmonious society on all fronts.

Urp, urp, call the deers, Eating sweet wormwood in the meadow. I have a house of good peers, All renowned for their good virtues. Superb and sensible, they are the model Whom virtuous people wish to equal. (The Book of Songs)

Then sages came out and established the status of father and son, and monarch and minister, as the world’s rules of conduct. When the rules are set up, the whole world is settled. When the world becomes stable, the sages determine the six rhythms and harmonize the five tones. Then the qin and se zithers are played in tune, and odes and ballads are sung along. These are called sounds that accord with virtue and they make true music. (The Book of Rites)

Virtue is at the root of humanity, and music is the representation of virtue. (The Book of Rites)