Book of Rites

Not to be confused withBook of Rights.

Book of Rites
An annotated version of theBook of Rites,dated before 907
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	Lễ Ký
Simplified Chinese	Lễ Ký
Literal meaning	"Record of Rites"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐjì Wade–Giles Li3-chi4 IPA [lì tɕî] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Láih-gei Jyutping Lai5gei3 IPA [lɐj˩˧ kej˧] Southern Min HokkienPOJ Lé-kì Middle Chinese Middle Chinese Léj-kì Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *Rˤijʔ krə-s
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	Lễ kinh
Simplified Chinese	Lễ kinh
Literal meaning	Rites Classic
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐjīng Wade–Giles Li3-ching1 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization láih gīng Jyutping lai5 ging1 Southern Min HokkienPOJ Lé-keng Tâi-lô Lé-king
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese	Kinh Lễ
Hán-Nôm	Kinh lễ
Korean name
Hangul	예기
Hanja	Lễ Ký
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Yegi
Japanese name
Kanji	Lễ Ký
Hiragana	らいき
Transcriptions Romanization Raiki

TheBook of Rites,also known as theLiji,is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of theZhou dynastyas they were understood in theWarring Statesand the earlyHanperiods. TheBook of Rites,along with theRites of Zhou(Zhōulǐ) and theBook of Etiquette and Rites(Yílǐ), which are together known as the "Three Li (Sānlǐ), "constitute the ritual (lǐ) section of theFive Classicswhich lay at the core of the traditionalConfuciancanon (each of the "five" classics is a group of works rather than a single text). As a core text of the Confucian canon, it is also known as theClassic of RitesorLijing,which some scholars believe was the original title before it was changed byDai Sheng.

History

TheBook of Ritesis a diverse collection of texts of uncertain origin and date that lacks the overall structure found in the other "rites" texts (theRites of Zhouand theEtiquette and Ceremonial).Some sections consist of definitions of ritual terms, particularly those found in theEtiquette and Ceremonial,while others contain details of the life and teachings ofConfucius.Parts of the text have been traced to such pre-Han works as theXunziandLüshi Chunqiu,while others are believed to date from theFormer Hanperiod.

During the reign ofQin Shihuang,many of the Confucian classics were destroyed during the 213 BC "Burning of the Books."However, theQin dynastycollapsed within the decade and Confucian scholars who had memorized the classics, or hid written copies recompiled them in the earlyHan dynasty.TheBook of Riteswas said to have been fully reconstructed, but theClassic of Musiccould not be recompiled and fragments principally survive in the "Record of Music"(Yueji) chapter of theBook of Rites.

Since then, other scholars have attempted to redact these first drafts. According to theBook of Sui,Dai Dereworked the text in the 1st century BC, reducing the original 214 books to 85 in the "Ritual Records of Dai the Elder" (Đại mang Lễ KýDà Dài Lǐjì), his nephewDai Shengfurther reduced this to 46 books in the "Ritual Records of Dai the Younger" (Tiểu mang Lễ KýXiǎo Dài Lǐjì), and finallyMa Rongadded three books to this bringing the total to 49.Later scholarship has disputed theBook of Sui's account as there is no reliable evidence to attribute these revisions to either Dai De or Dai Sheng, although both of them were Confucian scholars specialising in various texts concerningli.Nevertheless, at this time these texts were still being edited, with new script and old script versions circulating, and the content not yet fixed. However, whenZheng Xuan,a student of Ma Rong, composed his annotated text of theRiteshe combined all of the traditions of ritual learning to create a fixed edition of the 49 books which are the standard to this day. Zheng Xuan's annotated edition of theRitesbecame the basis of the "Right Meaning of the Ritual Records" (Lễ Ký chính nghĩaLǐjì Zhèngyì) which was the imperially authorised text and commentary on theRitesestablished in 653 AD.

In 1993, a copy of the "Black Robes" chapter was found in Tomb 1 of theGuodian TombsinJingmen,Hubei.Since the tomb was sealed around 300 BCE, the find reactivated academic arguments about the possible dating of the otherLijichapters by the Warring States period.

“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,” "decorum" or "politeness.” 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” is beneficial to society because it guides people to recognize and fulfill their responsibilities toward others.

Legacy

As a result of theBook of Rites'chapters, using asyncreticsystem later scholars formed both theGreat Learningand theDoctrine of the Mean.These two books were both believed to be written by two of Confucius' disciples one specifically being his grandson. The Neo-ConfucianZhu Xiand his edited versions of theGreat Learningand theDoctrine of the Meaninfluenced the Chinese society to place much more attention on these and two other books creating the Four Books. Following the decision of theYuan dynasty(followed by the Ming and Qing) to make the Five Classics and the Four Books the orthodox texts of the Confucian traditions, they were the standard textbooks for the state civil examination, from 1313 to 1905, which every educated person had to study intensively. Consequently, theBook of Ritesand 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	Khúc lễ trên dưới	Qūlǐ	Summary of the Rules of Propriety Part 1 & 2
03-04	Đàn cung trên dưới	Tángōng	Tangong Part 1 & 2
05	Vương chế	Wángzhì	Royal Regulations
06	Thời tiết và thời vụ	Yuèlìng	Proceedings of Government in the Different Months
07	Từng tử hỏi	Zēngzǐ Wèn	Questions of Zengzi
08	Văn vương thế tử	Wénwáng Shìzǐ	King Wen as Son and Heir
09	Lễ vận	Lǐyùn	The Conveyance of Rites
10	Lễ khí	Lǐqì	Implements of Rites
11	Giao đặc sinh	Jiāotèshēng	Single Victim At The Border Sacrifices
12	Nội tắc	Nèizé	Pattern of the Family
13	Ngọc tảo	Yùzǎo	Jade-Bead Pendants of the Royal Cap
14	Sân phơi vị	Míngtángwèi	Places in the Hall of Distinction
15	Tang phục tiểu nhớ	Sāngfú Xiǎojì	Record of Smaller Matters in the Dress of Mourning
16	Đại truyền	Dàzhuàn	Great Treatise
17	Thiếu nghi	Shǎoyí	Smaller Rules of Demeanour
18	Học nhớ	Xuéjì	Record on the Subject of Education
19	Nhạc nhớ	Yuèjì	Record on the Subject of Music
20-21	Tạp ký trên dưới	Zájì	Miscellaneous Records Part 1 & 2
22	Tang đại nhớ	Sàng Dàjì	Greater Record of Mourning Rites
23	Tế pháp	Jìfǎ	Law of Sacrifices
24	Tế nghĩa	Jìyì	Meaning of Sacrifices
25	Tế thống	Jìtǒng	A Summary Account of Sacrifices
26	Kinh giải	Jīngjiě	Different Teaching of the Different Kings
27	Ai công hỏi	Āigōng Wèn	Questions of Duke Ai
28	Trọng Ni yến cư	Zhòngní Yànjū	Zhongni at Home at Ease
29	Khổng Tử nhàn cư	Kǒngzǐ Xiánjū	Confucius at Home at Leisure
30	Phường nhớ	Fāngjì	Record of the Dykes
31	Trung dung	Zhōngyōng	Doctrine of the Mean
32	Vật lưu niệm	Biǎojì	Record on Example
33	Truy y	Zīyī	Black Robes
34	Vội về chịu tang	Běnsàng	Rules on Hurrying to Mourning Rites
35	Hỏi tang	Wènsāng	Questions About Mourning Rites
36	Phục hỏi	Fúwèn	Subjects For Questioning About the Mourning Dress
37	Gian truyền	Jiānzhuàn	Treatise on Subsidiary Points in Mourning Usages
38	Ba năm hỏi	Sānnián Wèn	Questions About the Mourning for Three Years
39	Thâm y	Shēnyī	Long Dress in One Piece
40	Ném thẻ vào bình rượu	Tóuhú	Game ofPitch-Pot
41	Nho hành	Rúxíng	Conduct of the Scholar
42	Đại học	Dàxué	Great Learning
43	Quan nghĩa	Guānyì	Meaning of the Ceremony of Capping
44	Hôn nghĩa	Hūnyì	Meaning of the Marriage Ceremony
45	Hương uống rượu nghĩa	Xiāngyǐn Jiǔyì	Meaning of the Drinking Festivity in the Districts
46	Bắn nghĩa	Shèyì	Meaning of the Ceremony of Archery
47	Yến nghĩa	Yànyì	Meaning of the Banquet
48	Sính nghĩa	Pìnyì	Meaning of Interchange of Missions twixt Different Courts
49	Tang phục bốn chế	Sàngfú Sìzhì	Four Principles Underlying the Dress of Mourning

Bibliography

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• 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)
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• Puett, Michael. "Centering the Realm: Wang Mang, the Zhouli, and Early Chinese Statecraft." in Elman, Benjamin A. and Kern, Martin, eds.,Statecraft and Classical Learning: the Rituals of Zhou in East Asian History,pp. 129–154.[1]
• Riegel, Jeffrey K. (1993), "Li chiLễ Ký ", in Loewe, Michael (ed.),Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide,Society for the Study of Early China, pp. 293–297,ISBN978-1-55729-043-4.
• Smith, Howard.Confucius.Great Britain: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973

External links

• The Book of Rites(Chinese and English,James Legge's 1885 translation) -Chinese Text Project
• Confucian Documents(English)
• Liji Lễ KýThe Book of Rites,Ulrich Theobald,Chinese Literature,24 July 2010.