Confucius was a renowned thinker, educator, and the founder of Confucianism during the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China.
Confucius, a native of the state of Lu, was thirty-five when civil war erupted in his homeland. Fearing for his life, he fled to the state of Qi with several disciples, including Zilu and Ziyou.
The ruler and high officials of the state of Qi had all heard of Confucius's great reputation
One day, a musician from the state of Qi performed the ancient music "Shao" for Confucius. The Master was utterly captivated, finding its melodies exquisite and its meaning deeply resonant. For several days afterward, he remained so immersed in the rhythm of "Shao" that while eating meat, he completely failed to notice its taste.
Some days later, the King of Qi invited Confucius to hear the martial music of *Wu*. Confucius found the melody pleasant but remarked, "The tune is beautiful, yet the meaning it conveys falls short of perfection."
One day, his disciple Zilu asked Confucius, "Master, which do you think is better, the music of *Shao* or *Wu*?"
Confucius answered without hesitation, "Of course, the music of *Shao* is better. Its melody and artistic conception are excellent—it can be described as perfect in both form and spirit. As for the music of *Wu*, although its melody is not bad, its artistic conception falls somewhat short."
Why did Confucius evaluate these two pieces of music so differently? The *Shao* music celebrated the era of Emperor Shun, while the *Wu* music commemorated King Wu of Zhou's conquest of the tyrant Zhou. Confucius yearned for the peaceful and perfect world of Shun's time, so he lavishly praised the *Shao* music. Thus, the idiom "Perfect in Both Virtue and Art" came to describe something that has reached an utterly flawless state.
Source: *The Analects*, Chapter "Ba Yi"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "尽善尽美" came to describe how something has reached an utterly flawless state.