“How to play music may be known. At the commencement of the piece, all the parts should sound together. As it proceeds, they should be in harmony while severally distinct and flowing without break, and thus on to the conclusion.”

Confucius is a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period. He is best known for founding Confucianism, a philosophical and ethical system that emphasizes personal and governmental morality, correctness in social relationships, and justice. His teachings, recorded in the *Analects*, remain foundational in Chinese culture and East Asian thought.