Book of Rites

The Book of Rites, attributed to Confucius, describes social forms, ancient rites, and court ceremonies.

Not to be confused with the similarly-named Chinese classics, the Rites of Zhou and the Book of Etiquette and Rites.

The Book of Rites (simplified Chinese: 礼记; traditional Chinese: 禮記; pinyin: Lǐjì), literally the Record of Rites, is one of the Five Classics constituting the core of the traditional Confucian canon. It described the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou Dynasty as it and its history was known in the Spring and Autumn Period. From its position in the Confucian canon, it is also known as the Classic of Rites (simplified Chinese: 礼经; traditional Chinese: 禮經; pinyin: Lǐjīng); some modern scholars believe this was the original title before it was changed by Dai Sheng.

History

An annotated version of the Book of Rites, dated before c. 907

The Confucian classics, such as the Book of Rites, have had a significant influence on Chinese history. During the Warring States Period from the 5th to the 3rd century BC, China was forced to face a time of brutal wars and political upset. Immediately this, during the reign of Qin Shihuang, many of the Confucian classics were destroyed during the 213 BC "Burning of the Books." A year later, 460 Confucian scholars were buried alive for criticizing the emperor. Fortunately for the preservation of this work, the Qin dynasty collapsed within the decade: Confucian scholars who had memorized the classics recompiled them amid the Chu-Han contention and the early Han dynasty. The Book of Rites was said to have been fully reconstructed, but the Classic of Music could not be recompiled and fragments principally survive in the "Record of Music" (Yueji) chapter of the Book of Rites.

Since then, other scholars have attempted to redact these first drafts. Dai De reworked the text in the 1st Century BC, reducing the original 214 books to 85; his younger brother Dai Sheng reduced this to 46 books. To this three were added towards the end of the Han Dynasty, bringing the total to 49.

Dai De's copy of the text was thought lost until 1993, when a copy of a Dai De's chapter "Black Robes" was found in Tomb 1 of the Guodian Tombs in Jingmen, Hubei.

Li

Confucius described Li as all traditional forms that provided a standard of conduct. Li literally means "rites" but it can also be used to refer to "ceremonial" or "rules of conduct". The term has come to generally be associated with "good form" or "decorum". Confucius felt that li should emphasize the spirit of piety and respect for others through rules of conduct and ceremonies. As outlined in the Book of Rites, li is meant to restore the significance of traditional forms by looking at the simplicity of the past. Confucius insisted that a standard of conduct that focused on traditional forms would be a way to ease the turmoil of collapsing Zhou state. The absolute power of li is displayed in the Book of Rites: "Of all things to which the people owe their lives the rites are the most important..." The ideas of li were thought to become closely associated with human nature, ethics, and social order as the population integrated li into their lives. Li was beneficial to society because it forced people to recognize and fulfill their responsibilities toward others.

Legacy

As a result of the Book of Rites' chapters, using a syncretic system and combining Daoist and Mohist beliefs, later scholars formed both the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean. These two books were both believed to be written by two of Confucius' disciples one specifically being his grandson. The great Neo-Confucian Zhu Xi and his edited versions of the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean influenced the Chinese society to place much more attention on these and two other books creating the Four Books. Throughout Chinese history the Five Classics and the Four Books were very important theoretical works, but also were the standard textbooks for the state civil examination, from 1313 to 1905, which every educated person had to learn by heart. Consequently, the Book of Rites and two of its by-products were large integral parts of the Chinese beliefs and industry for many centuries.

Contents

Table of Contents

##	Chinese	Pinyin	Translation
01-02	曲禮上下	Quli	Summary of the Rules of Propriety Part 1 & 2
03-04	檀弓上下	Tangong	Tangong Part 1 & 2
05	王制	Wangzhi	Royal Regulations
06	月令	Yueling	Proceedings of Government in the Different Months
07	曾子問	Zengzi Wen	Questions of Zengzi
08	文王世子	Wenwang Shizi	King Wen as Son and Heir
09	禮運	Liyun	The Conveyance of Rites
10	禮器	Liqi	Utensils of Rites
11	郊特牲	Jiaotesheng	Single Victim At The Border Sacrifices
12	內則	Neize	Pattern of the Family
13	玉藻	Yuzao	Jade-Bead Pendants of the Royal Cap
14	明堂位	Mingtangwei	Places in the Hall of Distinction
15	喪服小記	Sangfu Xiaoji	Record of Smaller Matters in the Dress of Mourning
16	大傳	Dazhuan	Great Treatise
17	少儀	Shaoyi	Smaller Rules of Demeanour
18	學記	Xueji	Record on the Subject of Education
19	樂記	Yueji	Record on the Subject of Music
20-21	雜記上下	Zaji	Miscellaneous Records Part 1 & 2
22	喪大記	Sang Daji	Greater Record of Mourning Rites
23	祭法	Jifa	Law of Sacrifices
24	祭義	Jiyi	Meaning of Sacrifices
25	祭統	Jitong	A Summary Account of Sacrifices
26	經解	Jingjie	Different Teaching of the Different Kings
27	哀公問	Aigong Wen	Questions of Duke Ai
28	仲尼燕居	Zhongni Yanju	Zhongni at Home at Ease
29	孔子閒居	Kongzi Xianju	Confucius at Home at Leisure
30	坊記	Fangji	Record of the Dykes
31	中庸	Zhongyong	Doctrine of the Mean
32	表記	Biaoji	Record on Example
33	緇衣	Ziyi	Black Robes
34	奔喪	Bensang	Rules on Hurrying to Mourning Rites
35	問喪	Wensang	Questions About Mourning Rites
36	服問	Fuwen	Subjects For Questioning About the Mourning Dress
37	間傳	Jianzhuan	Treatise on Subsidiary Points in Mourning Usages
38	三年問	Sannian Wen	Questions About the Mourning for Three Years
39	深衣	Shenyi	Long Dress in One Piece
40	投壺	Touhu	Game of Pitch-Pot
41	儒行	Ruxing	Conduct of the Scholar
42	大學	Daxue	Great Learning
43	冠義	Guanyi	Meaning of the Ceremony of Capping
44	昏義	Hunyi	Meaning of the Marriage Ceremony
45	鄉飲酒義	Xiangyin Jiuyi	Meaning of the Drinking Festivity in the Districts
46	射義	Sheyi	Meaning of the Ceremony of Archery
47	燕義	Yanyi	Meaning of the Banquet
48	聘義	Pinyi	Meaning of Interchange of Missions twixt Different Courts
49	喪服四制	Sangfu Sizhi	Four Principles Underlying the Dress of Mourning

Bibliography

• Buckley Ebrey, Patricia. Confucianism and the Family Rituals in Imperial China. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1991, ISBN 978-0-691-03150-7
• Confucius; James Legge; Chʻu Chai; Winberg Chai. Li Chi: Book of Rites. An encyclopedia of ancient ceremonial usages, religious creeds, and social institutions, New Hyde Park, N.Y., University Books [1967]. (originally published in 1885)
• Creel, H.G. Confucius and the Chinese Way. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1949
• Dawson, Raymond. Confucius. Great Britain: The Guernsey Press Co. Ltd., 1981
• de Bary, Wm. Theodore, Wing-tsit Chan, and Buton Watson. Sources of Chinese Tradition. New York and London: Columbia University Press, 1960, ISBN 978-0-231-02255-2
• Holm, Jean, and John Bowker. Sacred Writings. London: Printer Publishers Ltd., 1994
• Jingpan, Chen. Confucius as a Teacher. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1990, ISBN 978-0-8351-2240-5
• Lin Yutang. The Wisdom of Confucius. New York: Random House, Inc., 1938
• Smith, Howard. Confucius. Great Britain: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973

External links

• The Book of Rites (Chinese and English)
• Confucian Documents (English)
• Liji 禮記 "The Book of Rites", Ulrich Theobald, Chinese Literature, 24 July 2010.