Ritual Etiquette, The Great Unity

Author: Deng Liusheng Ye Guozhu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-05-01
Features: The Book of Rites is one of the Confucian classics known as the Three Rites (The Rites of Zhou, The Rites of Zhou, and The Book of Rites). During the Western Han Dynasty, The Rites of Zhou was highly valued, while in the Eastern Han Dynasty, The Rites of Zhou and The Rites of Zhou were both studied. It was only after the Three Kingdoms period that the study of The Book of Rites became popular. The content of The Rites of Zhou and The Rites of Zhou is now of little practical value beyond understanding the institutions and customs of the Zhou Dynasty. Only some chapters in The Book of Rites contain the brilliant thoughts of Confucianism, which are still worth recognizing and learning. Most chapters of The Book of Rites were written by Confucius's disciples, second-generation disciples, or third-generation disciples, and were later compiled by Dai Sheng, a renowned scholar of rites in the Western Han Dynasty, making the content richer and broader. The entire book consists of 49 chapters, covering aspects such as heaven, earth, gods, spirits, social affairs, historical and natural phenomena, as well as classic literature and institutional systems. It is hoped that readers can further understand Confucian thought and grasp the ideal social system proposed by Confucianism through this book.
In ancient times, what people valued most in life was ritual. "Ritual is the principle" (The Book of Rites, Zhongni Yanjiu). "Ritual is what governs human relationships; without ritual, one cannot stand" (Zuo Zhuan, Zhao Gong 7). This is because ritual plays a role in maintaining social order. The complex ethical relationships between rulers and subjects, fathers and sons, husbands and wives, brothers, and friends are all regulated by ritual. Therefore, to understand ancient society, one must understand the rituals of ancient times. However, in a hierarchical society, ritual bore the imprint of class and was used to maintain the status of the ruling class and serve the consolidation of the ruling class's power. We need to approach this part of the content dialectically. But we firmly believe that outstanding traditional culture can transcend the limitations of time and space, becoming fertile ground for the birth of new culture.
Finally, it should be noted that although the author referred to many other ancient classics during the annotation and translation process, striving to ensure that the annotations and translations more accurately reflect the original thoughts, due to the urgency of time and limited ability, there may inevitably be errors and omissions. We sincerely welcome readers to point them out.