Every person wants to fulfill his wishes, some of which are justified, while others are not. Trying to meet all these desires can only violate order and morals and even lead to social conflict. This quotation from the chapter “The Record of Music” in The Book of Rites explains the functions of music using as an example “Dawu” (大武great martial dance), a musical performance on the expedition of King Wu of Zhou (?-1043 BC) against King Zhou of Shang (?-1046 BC). King Wu of Zhou won the victory. However, he had waged war not to achieve personal ambition but to overthrow a brutal despot in the interest of the people, to achieve benevolence and righteousness and restore peace and prosperity. Therefore, the performance of “Dawu” fostered public moral standard by encouraging people to be virtuous and reject undesirable behavior.

One should fulfill his wish without deviating from benevolence and righteousness. One should remain true to this principle and not think only about satisfying one’s selfish desire. The expression of emotions in the musical performance of “Dawu” fosters righteousness, with reverence for virtue highlighted at the end of the performance. After watching this performance, the virtuous man will be more eager to perform good deeds, while the petty person will want to correct his misconduct. This shows that music is most important in shaping public moral standards. (The Book of Rites)