The guqin contains rich and profound cultural connotations. It has been a cherished instrument in the hands of ancient Chinese literati and scholar-bureaucrats for thousands of years. The special identity makes Qin music a musical form with high cultural attributes in the entire Chinese music structure. "Elegance" and "lightness" are the aesthetic tastes that Qin music advertises and pursues. "Purpose beyond taste, charm beyond rhyme, and sound beyond strings" are the essence of Qin music's profound artistic conception. This is exactly what Tao Yuanming said when he "knows the fun in the piano, why bother making notes on the strings" and Bai Juyi, who said "it is tasteless to the ears, but there is emotion in the heart when it is pleasant. You can do it yourself, and you don't want anyone to listen to it." On the contrary, people often use "playing the harp to a cow" or "burning the harp and cooking the crane" to lament some people's ignorance of the harp.

The charm of the guqin is quiet and elegant. To achieve this artistic conception, it requires the player to integrate the external environment with the peaceful and leisurely inner state of mind, in order to achieve the inner state of mind pursued in the music. The artistic realm of harmony and harmony. In this regard, Boya's experience can be regarded as a model for later generations. Legend has it that Boya once studied piano with Chenglian. Although he studied hard and diligently, he could not reach the state of concentration in his expression. So Chenglian led Boya to Penglai Wonderland and paddled away by himself. Boya waited and looked around, but Mr. Chenglian never came back. At this time, there was silence all around, except for the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, the sound of cliffs collapsing and valleys splitting; the mournful chirping of birds in the sky echoing for a long time.

Seeing this scene, Boya couldn't help but touch his heartstrings, so he took out his guqin and started playing and singing. He finally understood that Mr. Cheng Lian wanted him to experience this artistic conception of the blending of heaven and man to change his temperament. Later, Boya really became a master of the drum and harp in the world.

The harp player is forbidden. As the "saint's instrument", the piano naturally has its own unique and strict rules when playing. Chapter 86 of "Dream of Red Mansions", when Jia Baoyu learned that Lin Daiyu could play the piano, he asked his sister to play a piece for him. Lin Daiyu said at this time: "If you want to play the piano, you must choose a quiet room and a high studio, or on the top of a building, inside the forest and rocks, on the top of a mountain, or on the edge of a river. When you encounter the peaceful sky and earth, At that time, the wind is clear and the moon is bright, I burn incense and sit quietly with no thoughts." He also said: "If you need to play the harp, you must first be neatly dressed, either with a crane cloak or a deep robe, like the ancients. Only then can it be called a saint's instrument. , then washed her hands and burned incense. "Lin Daiyu is indeed a talented woman. She knows the music well and knows people well.

Confucianism and Taoism are the two pillars of Chinese philosophy. Among the many musical forms in China, Guqin can be said to be the culmination of Confucianism and Taoism reflected in music. Confucianism advocates the philosophy of joining the world, attaches great importance to the practical problems of life, and emphasizes the educational role of art in human ethics. The music advocated by Confucianism emphasizes harmony and harmony, and does not pursue the external effects of gorgeous sounds. "The harp is a prohibition. It prohibits evil in order to rectify people's hearts." Guqin bears the brunt of the moral responsibility of prohibiting evil and rectifying people's hearts. Xue Yijian of the Tang Dynasty said in "Qin Jue": "The music of the qin can be used to observe the wind and teach, to absorb the soul, to distinguish joy and anger, to entertain emotions and thoughts, to calm the mind and think, to strengthen the courage, to escape the secular world, and to understand ghosts and gods. , this is the good person of Qin."

Taoism advocates nature, emphasizes inaction and freedom, and opposes various behaviors imposed on nature by people. The most ideal music of Taoism should be the realm of "great sound and sound" and "the ultimate joy without joy". To a certain extent, Taoists are opposed to music. In essence, they are mainly opposed to the metaphysical level of art and emphasize the metaphysical realm of art. Zhuangzi further divided music into three categories: "sounds of nature", "sounds of earth" and "sounds of man". He believed that only "sounds of nature" were the highest level of music. He also advocated nature and opposed artificially crafted music. This deeply influenced the thinking of later qin players, such as Bai Juyi, Tao Yuanming, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, etc. Tao Yuanming always had a qin on his table, without strings or emblems. Whenever he was drunk and full of interest, he would always play a song on the piano. Later, Li Bai wrote in a poem: "The big sound makes its own music, but it is played on a stringless qin." From this, it is not difficult for us to understand the penetration and integration of Taoist ideas into qin music.