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.
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.
"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.
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 sounds are rare, and elephants are invisible " came from the 41st chapter of the Tao Te Ching. This was an aesthetic concept. It meant that the most beautiful music sounded lonely and silent, and the tall image could not see its shape. From an aesthetic point of view, it was meant to praise natural and not man-made beauty. 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 sounded 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 the eternal and harmonious huge "Heavenly Music"; Fifth, they believed that "Da Yin" was the sound of the Tao, mainly referring to the transcendence of sound emotions; Sixth, he believed that no sound was the strongest sound, which meant that it was best not to say anything. The original meaning of "image" in "elephant formless" could be understood as "Tao" or "reason". When "elephant formless" was said, it could also be roughly understood as "Tao formless", which was equivalent to "Tao is hidden and nameless" as Lao Tzu said. It could also be explained that human vision was limited. The grand image of the universe could not be described by what people saw and heard. Therefore, the more magnanimous it was, the more inclusive it was and the more indescribable it was.
" 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.
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.
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.
You might want to ask,"Great sounds are heard, but elephants are invisible." This was an aesthetic concept in ancient China literature theory proposed by Lao Tzu. "Da Yin Xi Sheng" could be understood in the following ways: First, the loudest sound had no sound; second, the loudest sound was sparse; third,"Xi Sheng" was "soundless" and contained "Da Yin"; fourth,"Da Yin Xi Sheng" was heavenly music, which could not be heard with the ears, but to comprehend the eternal and harmonious huge "Heavenly Music"; fifth,"Da Yin" was the sound of the combination of Dao, mainly referring to the transcendence of sound emotions; Sixth, no sound was the strongest sound, which meant that not saying anything was the best. It could also be understood as the more elegant the music, the fewer people would appreciate it, or the more brilliant the suggestion, the fewer people would accept it. "Elephant formless" could be understood as: the better the image, the more ethereal and formless (or "the best image is without image"); human vision had a range, and the shape of the universe and other large images could not be described by what people saw and heard. This was formlessness. It could also be understood as the more important the element, but it was easy to be ignored. The "Xiang" here could be understood as the "hexagram image", which was the element. The "elephant" was an important element. In general, it was meant to praise natural beauty, not man-made beauty.