The pre-Qin guqin aesthetic thought originated from the practical activities of qin music at that time, and was the basis of the later generations' guqin aesthetic theory.

Documentary records show that the art of guqin was not influenced by Confucianism represented by Confucius from the very beginning. The formation of traditional piano theory is a long process related to the background of each historical period. The qin of the Spring and Autumn Period was mainly used for the accompaniment of poetry or for self-entertainment. Documents record the grand occasion of Qi State during the Warring States Period that "all the people in Linzi played the yong, drums, strikes, builds, and played the qin", indicating that the social reality of the collapse of rituals and music made the qin gradually move from the court to the people.

Poetry, ritual and music of pre-Qin play an important role in social life. For example, in the Analects of Confucius, it can be seen that "Xing is in poetry, standing in propriety, and success in music", "without learning poetry, without words" and other records. Poems are divided into recitation and chord poems. Poetry recitation is oral recitation without musical instrument accompaniment; stringed poetry is accompanied by stringed musical instruments. The royal family of the Zhou Dynasty and the court musicians of the various vassal states, such as Shi Kuang of Jin State and Shi Xiang of Wei State, were honored as "Masters" because of their skill at playing the qin. The difference between the status of these musicians and ordinary musicians is that they are often accompanied by princes and often participate in politics. The string poems of court musicians were mainly a social etiquette at that time.

Due to social changes, the culture of qin music gradually moved out of the court and into the folk, and a group of folk qin masters such as Boya and Yongmen Zhou appeared. There is a story about Yongmen Zhou, a qin master in the state of Qi, in Shuoyuan Shanshuo. Yongmen Zhou once preached the drum and qin for King Mengchang of Qi. He firstly pointed out the dangerous position of Mengchang Jun in politics, so that Mengchang Jun seemed to see the tragic scene of his ruined reputation and the overgrown with weeds and weeds after his death, so he burst into tears, thus successfully creating a kind of Music atmosphere. Yongmen Zhou then played the qin and played music, and as a result, Lord Mengchang "stands like a man who broke the country and destroyed the city". The story has noticed an important issue in the aesthetics of music, that is, one of the aesthetic characteristics of music is that it requires the aesthetician to invest in his own subjective experience and feelings.

Legend has it that Confucius compiled 305 "Book of Songs", and he was able to "sing songs". What Confucian scholars pay attention to is not the aesthetic pleasure that "music" brings to people, but its educational function. Confucius liked qin and music, but his hobby of music itself was only one aspect, and perhaps the more important reason was for the political proposition of "restraining oneself and restoring rituals". In pre-Qin literature, there are not a few examples of using the qin to discuss politics. Zou Ji's main deeds were seen when Duke Huan of Qi reached King Xuan (374 BC - 301 BC). He once persuaded Qi with the qin, and was highly appreciated by the King of Wei, and later worshipped him as his prime minister. During his tenure as prime minister, he often used playing the qin to persuade King Wei, and he strongly emphasized the role of music in governing the country.

The pre-Qin people have clearly realized that music has an important influence on people's character and emotion. Blindly pursuing to enjoy the decadent sound of decadence plays a bad role in the social atmosphere of a nation and a country. There is a passage in "Han Feizi: Ten Passes", saying that Shi Yan, the qin master of King Zhou of Shang, once made novel and lewd and extravagant music for King Zhou. Later, Shi Kuang, a court musician of Jin State, said that if Shi Kuang extended the extravagant music, it would lead to the destruction of the country. Shi Kuang was deified because of his proficient in judging tune and rhythm. According to "Zuo Zhuan: Eighteen Years of Xianggong", in 554 B.C., when the state of Chu was about to attack the state of Jin, Shi Kuang played divination and predicted that "Chu will be without merit". "The Record of Music" also has the theories that "the way of sound is connected with government", which is one of the theoretical cores of later Confucianism, together with Shi Kuang's theory of "pleasure brings disaster". The emergence of these theories in the pre-Qin period had a profound social foundation.