Rituals and Music - Archery

In ancient times, the society was simple and unadorned, and archery was a man's business. When a boy was born, the first thing his parents had to do was to shoot the sky, earth and the four directions with a bow and arrow, hoping that he would become a man with ambitions in the future.

Superb archery was originally a skill that combined courage and skill. According to the 16th year of Chenggong in Zuo Zhuan, Pan Dang and Yang Youji stacked 7 sets of armor together and were able to shoot through them with one arrow. In ancient times, targets were generally made of animal skins, so they were referred to as "skins". Competitions aimed at hitting and shooting through were called "shooting with skin as the main goal". Confucius was very dissatisfied with this kind of competition that drew people's attention to strength, and believed that it violated the "ancient way". The Analects of Confucius said, "Shooting does not focus on skins, and strength is different, which is the ancient way." It is believed that whether the "skin" can be shot through depends on the physical fitness of the archer, and people have different physical fitness, which is not fair.

Yang Youji could shoot through a willow leaf from a distance of 100 steps. Mencius said, "The maximum is your strength; the maximum is not your strength." Being able to shoot a willow leaf from a distance of 100 steps is a manifestation of extraordinary courage and strength; and being able to shoot through a willow leaf from a distance of 100 steps is not only a matter of courage and strength, but also requires skills.

The rural archery ceremony focuses on the archer's virtue and cultivation. "The Meaning of Archery" says that this is an activity that "decorates with rituals and music" and teaches through archery, which is essentially different from military training. "The Meaning of Archery" says that in order to hit the target, one must "be upright in mind and upright in body." The main purpose of Confucian ritual and music thought is to emphasize the use of music to guide the uprightness of the mind and the use of rituals to regulate the uprightness of the body. Confucianism cleverly grasped the combination of archery and rituals and music, and while retaining the form of comparison, it reshaped the soul of the archery ceremony. Every step and posture of the archer must reflect the way of rituals and music, "advance, retreat, and return must be in the right way." Those who have well-developed limbs and unparalleled courage but do not know rituals and righteousness will be at a loss in the archery ceremony.

The first round of shooting at the Xiangshe Ceremony does not count the score, only the body and mind are required to be in accordance with the ceremony. The second round of shooting is a formal shooting competition, and the score can be counted only if the target is hit. In the third round of shooting, the archer must not only be in accordance with the ceremony, but also shoot according to the rhythm of the music, and the shooting posture must be coordinated with the rhythm of the music. The Xiangshe Ceremony focuses on "harmony" and "tolerance". Ma Rong, a Confucian scholar in the Han Dynasty, explained "harmony" as "harmony of mind and body", that is, harmony between mind and body. "Harmony and tolerance" is the highest realm of the archery ceremony, and it is also the manifestation of the archer's deep cultivation.