Zhu wrote on music theory and temperament (five treatises survive), music history (two treatises survive), dance and dance music (five treatises survive), and several other works. Three music theory works in particular are associated with the ideas of equal temperament, the「律學新說」 (" on the equal temperament ", 1584), 「律呂精義」("A clear explanation of that which concerns the equal temperament", 1595/96), and 「算學新說」(" Reflection on mathematics", 1603). His work has been described as "the crowning achievement of two millennia of acoustical experiment and research (Robinson 1962:224)"Robinson, Kenneth. A critical study of Chu Tsai-yü's contribution to the theory of equal temperament in Chinese music. Wiesbaden : F. Steiner, 1980. and he is described as "one of the most important historians of his nation's music."Fritz A. Kuttner. "Prince Chu Tsai-Yü's Life and Work: A Re-Evaluation of His Contribution to Equal Temperament Theory", p. 163, Ethnomusicology, Vol. 19, No. 2 (May, 1975), pp. 163–206.
