Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The Liji (Book of Rites) is one of the Confucian classics known as the Sanli (Three Rites), which includes the Yili (Book of Rites), the Zhouli (Rites of Zhou), and the Liji. During the Western Han Dynasty, the Yili was emphasized, while the Eastern Han Dynasty focused on both the Yili and the Zhouli. It was not until the Three Kingdoms period that the study of the Liji became popular. The content of the Yili and the Zhouli has little practical value today, except for some chapters in the Liji that contain important Confucian thoughts, which are still worth understanding and learning. Most chapters of the Liji were written by the disciples of Confucius or their successors, 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 and human affairs, history, nature, and classical texts and institutions. During the Song Dynasty, the scholar Zhu Xi extracted the Daxue (Great Learning) and the Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean) from the Liji and combined them with the Analects and Mencius to form the Four Books. As a result, some modern commentaries and translations of the Liji do not include these two chapters. In this selection, we have annotated and translated some of the more famous chapters, and included the Daxue and the Zhongyong to more fully present Confucian thought. We hope readers will gain a deeper understanding of Confucianism and its ideal social system through this book.
In ancient times, what people valued most was li (ritual propriety). As the Liji states, "Ritual propriety is the principle" (Liji·Zhongni Yanju), and as the Zuo Zhuan·Zhao Gong Qi says, "Ritual propriety is the backbone of a person; without it, one cannot stand." This is because li plays a role in maintaining social order. The complex ethical relationships among rulers and subjects, parents and children, husbands and wives, brothers, and friends are all regulated by li. Therefore, to understand ancient society, one must understand the li of that time. However, the li in a hierarchical society bore the imprint of class and was used to maintain the status of the ruling class and serve the consolidation of the ruling regime. We must approach this content dialectically. But we always believe that outstanding traditional culture can transcend the limitations of time and space, becoming fertile ground for the birth of new culture.