The phrase harmonious society (simplified Chinese: 和谐社会; traditional Chinese: 和諧社會; pinyin: héxié shèhuì) can relate as back as the time of Confucius when music could bring about harmony by maintaining balance in the society. In addition, music was considered to have the power to transform people into becoming more civilized. Thus, the idea of harmony also suggests the government's responsibility in guiding people "to the correct direction in life." The current construction of a harmonious society, however, is a socio-economic vision that is said to be the result of Chinese leader Hu Jintao's signature ideology of the Scientific Development Concept. It serves as the ultimate goal for the ruling Communist Party of China along with Xiaokang society, which aims for a "basically well-off" middle-class oriented society. First proposed by the Chinese government under the Hu-Wen Administration during the 2005 National People's Congress, the idea changes China's focus from economic growth to overall societal balance and harmony. The idea is clearly visible in banners all over China.Furthermore, at the time when the term first came out in 2006, the Chinese society was highly unbalanced due to huge social injustice and inequality. The timing of such a message thus also marks the political agenda of President Hu, who tried to carry out a new vision and walk out of the shadow of his predecessor, President Jiang Zemin. Near the end of his regime in 2011, President Hu's visit to the U.S. represents a focus on the international dimensions of peace and cooperation, which could also be well incorporated into the concept of a harmonious society, or a harmonious world.

A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Human societies are characterized by patterns of relationships (social relations) between individuals who share a distinctive culture and institutions; a given society may be described as the sum total of such relationships among its constituent members. In the social sciences, a larger society often evinces stratification and/or dominance patterns in subgroups.

Insofar as it is collaborative, a society can enable its members to benefit in ways that would not otherwise be possible on an individual basis; both individual and social (common) benefits can thus be distinguished, or in many cases found to overlap.

A society can also consist of like-minded people governed by their own norms and values within a dominant, larger society. This is sometimes referred to as a subculture, a term used extensively within criminology.