Why did the state of Wu, outside the Central Plains’ feudal order, repeatedly produce sages praised by Confucius and Sima Qian for yielding the throne? What did Sima Qian intend through the conflict and contrast between Wu and Chu? Faced with bloody struggles among the ritual states of the Central Plains, what bearing and taste did sages beyond civilization display? Was the idea that lost rites could be sought among the people an ideal or a reality?

Hereditary House of Wu Taibo:

Modern Translation:

The musicians next performed pieces from the Lesser Odes. Jizha said, “How beautiful! There is sorrow but no intention of rebellion, complaint but no rebellious words. Perhaps this reflects the decline of virtuous government under the Zhou? Yet the people inherited from earlier kings still remain.” They then performed pieces from the Greater Odes. Jizha said, “How broad and magnificent! The music is gentle and joyful, its melody winding yet ordered and strong. This must be the virtue of King Wen of Zhou.”

They sang the Hymns. He said, “Perfection! Upright without arrogance; yielding without submission; intimate without pressure; distant without estrangement; changing without excess; recurring without weariness; mournful without despair; joyful without abandon; useful without exhaustion; expansive without display; giving without waste; taking without greed; resting without blockage; moving without overflow. The five tones harmonize, the eight winds are balanced, measures have proportion, and observances have order. Such qualities belong to abundant virtue.”