There were many explanations for its meaning. One explanation was that the most beautiful music was without music, and the most beautiful image was without image. Human hearing had a range, and beyond the range, one could not hear sound. The shape of the universe could not be described by what people saw and heard. This was the highest realm of art and beauty. The most perfect literary and artistic works had to enter the true realm of nature and simplicity, without human traces. Another understanding was that true love did not need to be expressed in words, and a powerful existence did not need to be seen or heard. This was often used to describe love and power that silently contributed and did not ask for anything in return. Just like how an elephant, although huge, could transmit powerful power through its silent and peaceful personality, humans who silently contributed and did not leave a name also possessed powerful and invisible power like elephants.
It meant that the most beautiful music was without music, and the most beautiful image was without image. Human hearing had a range, and sounds beyond that range could not be heard. The shape of the universe could not be described by what people saw and heard, because such a large image was invisible. This was also the highest realm of art and beauty. It revealed that the most perfect literary works needed to enter the realm of Dao, enter the true realm of nature and simplicity without any traces of man-made. It can also be understood as the loudest music but no sound, the largest image but no trace, metaphor: the Great Dao is hidden and hidden, and the body cannot seek to see.
In the Tao Te Ching, Chapter 41, there was an expression that said," Great sounds are rare, and elephants are invisible." Its meaning was: The most beautiful music sounds lonely and silent, and the tall image is invisible; It can also be understood that the better the music is, the more silent it is, and the better the image is, the more ethereal it is. The best music has no sound, and the best image has no image. It could also be understood that human hearing had a range. People could not hear sounds beyond the range. They could not hear sounds that were smaller than the range, and they could not hear sounds that were larger than the range. The shape of the universe could not be described by what people saw and heard, because such a large image was invisible. It meant that the greater the achievement, the more immeasurable it was. The greater the magnanimity, the more indescribable it was. In addition, ancient and modern scholars had roughly six explanations for "Da Yin Xi Sheng": First, they believed that the loudest sound had no sound; Second, they believed that the loudest sound was sparse; Third, they believed that "Xi Sheng" was "soundless" and contained "Da Yin"; Fourth, they believed that "Da Yin Xi Sheng" was heavenly music, which could not be heard with ears, but to comprehend and use the eternal and harmonious huge "Heavenly Music". Fifth, they believed that Da Yin was the sound of the Tao, which mainly referred to the transcendence of sound emotions, and sixth, they believed that no sound was the strongest sound, which meant that saying nothing was the best.
"Great beauty is silent" and "elephant is invisible" came from traditional China ideology and was a part of Taoism. These two concepts contained the profound understanding of Taoism towards beauty and the essence of things. From an aesthetic point of view," great beauty without words " meant that the true ultimate beauty transcended the description of words, while " elephant formless " meant that the grand image or essence had no fixed form.
There were many ways to interpret it. On the one hand, from the perspective of art and beauty, the most beautiful music was without music, and the most beautiful image was without image. Human hearing had a range, and sounds that were beyond or smaller than this range could not be heard. The shape of the universe could not be described by what people saw and heard. This was a natural and simple realm without any traces of man-made. It was also the highest realm of art and beauty. On the other hand, it could also mean that true love did not need to be expressed in words. Powerful existences did not need to be seen or heard. It was often used to describe love and power that silently contributed and did not ask for anything in return. Just like an elephant, its huge size and weight could not conceal its existence, but its quiet and peaceful personality could transmit great power and meaning. Those who silently contributed and did not leave their names were also like elephants. Their existence and contribution were not limited by time and space.
The meaning of 'elephant formless' was as follows: 1. In terms of aesthetics, it originated from the ancient China literary theory proposed by Lao Tzu, advocating the beauty of nature rather than man-made beauty. That is, the best image is invisible, and the better the image, the more ethereal and invisible. It meant that the grander the image, the harder it was to describe it with human perception. The shape of the universe was invisible. It also meant that the grander the image, the more inclusive and indescribable it was. 2. In terms of dealing with people and things, it was extended to not be overly assertive in dealing with personnel, but to be compatible with various forms. Take Marshal Zhu De for example. He was generous, unassuming, took the lead, had a strong sense of the overall situation, endured humiliation, was good at communication, and handled matters as if they were light. Although he had high military ability and prestige, people did not feel that he was grand. This realm reflected the "invisible elephant". 3. In terms of describing scenes and realms, it represented the greatest, most magnificent, and most magnificent scenes and realms in the world. It was often not limited to specific things and patterns, but presented the appearance and scenes of "myriad climates".
The meaning of " elephant invisible " included intentionally turning into unintentionally, accommodating all kinds of things, and not deliberately revealing themselves; grand imposing scenes often did not have a certain shape; it could also mean that capable people seemed ordinary, but had grand but not grand characteristics. For example, Marshal Zhu De was generous and without airs. He had superb ability in leading troops but seemed ordinary. This was also a kind of " elephant invisible."
" Great music is silent, and the elephant is invisible." It meant that the most beautiful music sounded lonely and silent, and the grand image could not see its shape. This concept came from the Tao Te Ching and expressed an extremely high realm. For example, grand imposing scenes often had no fixed form. They were intentional and unintentional, compatible with all kinds of situations, and did not deliberately reveal or advocate. There was no such thing as a " silent elephant ".
In Taoism, concepts such as "nameless Dao","invisible elephant", and "great sound" contained profound philosophy. The nameless Great Dao meant that the Great Dao was an existence that could not be completely defined by a specific name. It was the fundamental law of the operation of all things in the universe. Its meaning was profound and could not be accurately summarized with limited words. " The elephant is invisible " did not mean that it did not have an image, but it meant that the biggest image was beyond the general and concrete image, such as the operation of heaven and earth, the cycle of the four seasons, the growth and decline of Yin and Yang, the living of all things, etc. These grand phenomena contained the biggest image behind them. People were often obsessed with the concrete signs, and it was difficult to understand this invisible elephant. Only by transcending the image could they understand the true meaning of the Tao. " Great Sound Hope Sound " did not mean that there was no sound, but it referred to the extreme and grand sound that was beyond the concept of ordinary sound. Like the spring thunder that brought about the revival of all things, and the autumn wind that hinted at the falling leaves and autumn, there was a loud sound in silence. However, people often found it difficult to hear this kind of sound in silence in the noisy and impetuous world. Only when they reached a state of tranquility and far-reaching could they understand the beauty of the Great Dao. These ideas reflected the profound understanding of the universe, nature, and life of Taoism. It advocated people to go beyond the surface and explore the deeper essence behind things.
It meant that the most beautiful music was without music, and the most beautiful image was without image. Human hearing had a range. People couldn't hear sounds beyond the range, and they couldn't hear sounds smaller or larger than this range. The shape of the universe couldn't be described by what people saw and heard, because such a large image was invisible. This could also be understood as the highest realm of art and beauty, revealing that the most perfect literary works must enter the realm of Tao, entering the true realm of nature and simplicity without any traces of man-made. It can also be used as an analogy for the Great Dao, which has not yet appeared and cannot be sought by the body.
"The elephant is invisible" had many meanings and symbolic meanings. In terms of aesthetics, the aesthetic concept in ancient China literature theory proposed by Lao Tzu advocated natural beauty rather than artificial beauty. The highest realm was that the larger the image, the more shapeless it was. In terms of dealing with people and things, it was extended to not be overly assertive towards people and things, and to be able to accommodate all kinds of situations. From the perspective of existence, the existence of elephants was not only reflected in their size and strength, but also through symbolic significance, historical and cultural significance, and ecological value. In Asian culture, it symbolized strength, wisdom, gentleness, good fortune, abundance, and beauty. In the West, it symbolized a stable and powerful gentleman who was not angry and was not angry. It also symbolized wisdom, strength, longevity, happiness, and good fortune. In terms of ecology, elephants, as a key species in the forest ecosystem, help maintain the balance of the forest, promote the growth and reproduction of plants, and protect the habitat of other wild animals.