The Meaning of Rhythm

The narrow meaning of rhythm refers to the rhythm of various literary works—especially music. According to the Encyclopedia of China: Volumes of music and dance (p. 314, 1989), “rhythm is one of the three major elements of music along with the tune and harmony. It is the organized order of the tone. Strong and weak, fast and slow, tight and loose are the key elements of rhythm which help organize the music into a unified whole to express the feelings and ideas of musician.”

Rhythm is not only important for music and dance, but for almost all arts, since they all need phrasing and a primary movement pattern, and as such, is an organizing way to understand and make meaning of the world. We rely on the movement patterns to communicate. As Lin (p.249, 2012), one of the greatest modern litterateur of China, said in the Biography of Su Dongpo, “All the problems in art are rhythm problems. Whether it is painting, carving or music each art form has an implicit rhythm....”

In a broad sense, rhythm “is the organizing principle of all movements, the regularity of the various parts of each other to form a whole.” (Guriyev, p.17, 1983) Everything moving in time and space shows a certain rhythm, and rhythm creates a perceivable pattern, whether stable and regular or erratic and unstable, thereby completing a certain function. Any rhythm contains two basic dimensions of speed and strength: speed, which is the fast or slow status of the movement of various parts of the object in the time dimension, and strength, which is the strong or weak status of energy. Only at the right speed and strength can the movements of the various parts can work together to form a unified rhythm and become a whole.

Sunrise and sunset, cold and hot seasons, they are grand rhythms; countless lives on earth arrange their activities and spend lifetimes according to this rhythm. The breathing of the human body, the beating of the heart, and even the opening and closing of the eyelids, they are subtle rhythms. When the rhythm of various systems and organs of the human body runs stably and evenly, people are in a healthy state; when the rhythm appears to be fluctuating or disordered, people will become sick or even die.

The Significance of Rhythm Training to Promote Physical and Mental Health

A good rhythm allows people to achieve their intended purpose with the least amount of effort to get the most out of an activity and to feel the joy of such rhythm. One example is the porter who transports cargo—the rhythm of the undulating movement and keeping pace with the speed of walking allow a porter to save effort and go further.

Another example is learning how to drive. When people are still learning to drive, they are often in a hurry and careless. After repeated practice, however, they find the rhythm of their hands and feet and thus drive more smoothly. They all engage in universal patterns of movement (regardless of the task), and each has a distinct rhythm that once recognized and embodied, allows the movement to unfold with ease. Zhuangzi, one of the great Daoism philosophers 2,000 years ago, has already revealed this. In the fable Zhuangzi: Healing Master, (Zhang, p.47, 1991) there are several interesting paragraphs such as “The king’s cook cutting an ox,” which is about a cook cutting up an ox for King Wen Hui. Whenever his hand touched, his shoulder leaned, his foot trod, and his knee thrust, there were sounds of ripping and slicing, which kept time with the rhythm of the dance of Mulberry Grove and were as melodious as the music of Jingshou. “Ah! Very good!,” Wen Hui said, “How did you achieve such perfection in your skill?” The cook said that his knife has been in use for nineteen years and has cut up several thousand oxen, and yet its edge is still sharp as if it were newly whetted. Why? It was because he got the right rhythm to do his work. King Wen Hui also learned the way of nurturing life from seeing the cook’s work and hearing his words.

Zhuangzi believes that human society is full of intricate contradictions and many difficulties. If we want to protect ourselves, we should keep on practicing our skills of dealing with different things and communicating with different persons. After we get the right rhythm to live in the world, we will be as satisfied and comfortable as the cook in the fable. This is the wisdom of Chinese culture; in China’s traditional philosophy and theories of health, people care about the rhythm of life, the way of golden mean, the balance of Yin and Yang. China’s economy and society have developed rapidly for nearly 40 years; nowadays, more and more emphasis is given to the pace and quality of development, but fewer people pay attention to the harmony between man and nature. Individuals, after intense and efficient work or study, should also actively slow down, calm down, restore a soft and natural state, and let life be nourished, so as to accommodate all things and achieve harmonious symbiosis.

Integrated Poetry Therapy

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu (p.77, 2008, Translated by Ju Yanan) said in the 77th chapter of the Dao De Jing, “Is the Way of Heaven Not Like the Bending of a Bow?, “When it is too high, pull it down. When it is too low, push it up. He who has too much gets cut. He who has not enough gets help. The Way of Heaven is to cut excess and help one who doesn’t have enough.” It is the balance and adjustment of the rhythm of life.

In the education of people’s physical and mental health, we can use different styles of poetry to help people adjust the balance of yin and yang of their emotions. For those with lower physical and mental energy states (such as those with depression or those who feel numb, tired, and even pessimistic about life and work) we can “push it up,” and for people who are often anxious and nervous, we can “pull it down.” It is the integrated therapy that uses tai chi, voice, and poetry.

Whether it is the high, the low, the rest, or the deficiencies, we can use them to practice the physical and respiratory movements of tai chi in order to make the body more peaceful, softer, loose, and warm. We can then practice the abdominal sound (or dantian’s core practice of vocalization), which will help them feel the resonance of their bodies and minds, their mutual resonance, and enhance interpersonal connections.

If we want to “push it up,” we can use reading and even singing loudly so that our breathing capacity increases and the flow of energy in both body and mind becomes more active. What we use is mainly masculine, unconstrained poetry, mobilizing our will and inspiring our inner strength. The theory of ancient Chinese poetry has always emphasized the fundamental driving force of human beings, the need for self-realization and self-fulfillment, and the arduous and detached state of mind in the face of the hardships and difficulties of life. Among the ancient Chinese poetry, there are a large number of such poems—such as Invitation to Wine written by the great poet Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty.

If we want to “pull it down” and be peaceful, we use a small voice, whispering, to make breathing more stable and even and the flow of energy more moderate. What we use is mainly feminine, graceful poetry, leading us through the sound and into the wonderful, long-range, quiet mood of poetry; this is just like listening to all kinds of soothing light music. Poetry has more specific and much clearer images than music. Moreover, Chinese language has rich changes in pronunciation, phonology, and rhythm. Ordinary people are more likely to feel the music in poetry in the whispering. Sensual beauty—and the use of words to evoke imagination—allow us to obtain the inner visual beauty that helps open the mind and vision and connect with the greater existence, overcoming excitement and anxiety and making ourselves smoother and calmer. There are many poetic treasure houses in China such as the Tang Dynasty poet Chen Ziang’s “Deng Youzhou Taiwanese Songs,” the Song Dynasty poet Li Qingzhao’s “Southern Songs,” and “Luo Meng Ling,” and the modern poet Xu Zhimo’s “Farewell to Cambridge” and his other poems.

Conclusion

Rhythm training is beneficial not only to people’s daily expressions, but also to people’s self-cultivation—creating a clean and peaceful physical and mental status. If we find good rhythm in our work and life, we will have more happiness. For social organizations, only when the roles of the people are clear and they work together around the common goal with good rhythm can they achieve long lasting development.