The specific things or abstract concepts represented by language symbols are called referentialism, and the referent is the meaning to be expressed by the signification function.

The concept of musical aesthetics has appeared in the works of German music scholars at the end of the 18th century. As an independent discipline, it was gradually established in Europe in the second half of the 19th century. After more than a century of exploration, it has become an important branch of general aesthetics and musicology. However, musicians from all over the world have long thought and discussed basic issues such as the nature of music, the aesthetic feeling of music, the social functions and value standards of music. Whether in the East or the West, its history can be traced back to Distant ancient times.

The origin of ancient Chinese music aesthetics can be traced back to prehistoric times. Materials in ancient documents show that the ancestors not only had an aesthetic awareness of music, but also had various imaginative thoughts about the origin and function of music. They believed that music originated from the imitation of nature, wind and gas. The function of music is to help humans conquer nature, defeat enemies, etc. At that time, these views all appeared in the form of religion and mythology, and became the embryo and bud of musical ideas in later civilized society.