During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Mohist school represented by Mozi, a native of Lu, was aware of the war and the reality of "unequal upper and lower" society at that time, and one-sidedly exaggerated the negative role of music in making people pursue pleasure. It opposes people engaging in musical activities and promotes the theory of non-music.

The Taoist school treats music phenomena with nihilism and mysticism, analyzes things from an idealist perspective, and believes that "Tao" means "nothing" and "being comes from nothing". Its theory "Da Yin Xi Sheng" believes that music should be silent.