Da Dai Liji Huixiao Jizhu (Upper and Lower)

Author: Huang Huaxin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The Great Commentary on the Rites () is similar to the Lesser Commentary on the Rites (), also known as the Rites (), and is an anthology of Confucian ritual studies from the late Han Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, it was referred to as one of the "Fourteen Classics." According to the Records of the Sui Dynasty's Bibliography and Zheng Xuan's "Commentary on the Rites" (as cited in the "Exegesis of the Rites"), the original text contained eighty-five chapters. The surviving manuscript is missing chapters 38, 43–45, 61, and 82–85, totaling forty-six chapters, leaving only chapters 39–42, 46–60, 62–81 (with chapter 73 mistakenly split into two parts). There are now thirty-nine chapters. Among these, seven chapters record the words and deeds of Confucius, two chapters record the words and deeds of his disciples, ten chapters record rites and ceremonies, one chapter comments on figures in Confucius's school, six chapters discuss ancient rites, two chapters discuss the general principles of rites, several chapters record ancient events, two chapters trace the genealogies of ancient emperors, and four chapters contain other essays. Additionally, there is the Xiaozheng, a chapter dedicated to seasonal phenomena and celestial observations, believed to be a text from the Xia Dynasty.