When Yu governed the world, he listened through the five tones. He hung bells, drums, clappers, and stone chimes at his gate and placed a tao drum there as well, in order to attract men from all over the four seas. He had an inscription cast on the pillars, which read: "Those who wish to teach me the Way shall strike the drum; those who wish to teach me righteousness shall strike the bell; those who have matters to advise me upon shall shake the clapper; those who wish to inform me of dangers or troubles shall strike the stone chime; and those who have lawsuits or disputes to report shall beat the tao." This is what is meant by the five tones.

Therefore, Yu once rose seventy times during a single meal and did not have time to eat his fill at noon, saying: "I am still afraid that men from the four seas may be detained on their way." This selfless urgency reflects the ten classic philosophical views of Laozi on the ruler who places the people's needs above his own comfort.

Therefore, men from all over the Four Seas all came. Thus, during Yu's reign, in the courtyard one could also catch birds with a net and drink wine — a poetic image of peace and abundance born from open governance. This vision of the ruler as a receptive vessel rather than a commanding force is central to Laozi's philosophy, explored further in Zhuangzi Chapter 2 on the harmony of all perspectives, and rooted in the origin and development of Taoism as a tradition of natural governance.

Primary sources include the Shoushanige Congshu edition, the Zhengtong Daozang (Taoist Canon) edition, and the Mohaijinju edition.