哀乐中节

喜怒哀乐的表达都符合法度，既充分地表达情绪情感，又不偏激乖戾，由情而发，以礼约束。这一术语可用作人生哲学，也可用于艺术创作，其核心思想为儒家的中庸原则，不偏不倚，无过无不及，一切都恰到好处。由此而从事作文、写诗、绘画等文艺创作活动，其作品自然会呈现均衡的中和之美，也符合温柔敦厚的教化之义。

Express Grief and Joy in Accordance with the Rules of Propriety

This term holds that all expressions of grief and joy should be kept under the restraint of propriety. It means that artists should not be extreme when giving vent to their feelings. They should start off with feelings but end in self-discipline. The term applies to both the philosophical field and artistic creation. What it accentuates is the golden mean, a Confucian term advocating impartiality, reconciliation, and compromise, with propriety as its overriding principle. If an artist obeys the golden mean, whether he writes an essay or a poem or paints a picture, his work will naturally show the beauty of equilibrium and highlight the gentleness and honesty of the Confucian doctrine.

引例

喜怒哀乐，情也。其未发，则性也，无所偏倚，故谓之中。发皆中节，情之正也，无所乖戾，故谓之和。（朱熹《中庸章句》）（喜怒哀乐，是人类的情感。它们没有表达出来时属于自然天性，没有特殊偏向，故称作“中”。它们表达出来后，若符合规范，情感中正，没有乖违偏激，故称作“和”。）

Happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy are the common manifestations of human feelings. When kept undisclosed, they constitute a natural instinct and are regarded as "impartial". When they are displayed, and in accordance with the rules of propriety, without any trace of extremity, they are regarded as "harmonious". (Zhu Xi: Annotations on The Doctrine of the Mean)