The Book of Rites, also known as the Liji, is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The Book of Rites, along with the Rites of Zhou (Zhōulǐ) and the Book of Etiquette and Rites (Yílǐ), which are together known as the "Three Li (Sānlǐ)," constitute the ritual (lǐ) section of the Five Classics which lay at the core of the traditional Confucian canon (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 the Classic of Rites or Lijing, which some scholars believe was the original title before it was changed by Dai Sheng.
Book of Rites
An annotated version of the Book of Rites, dated before 907
The Book of Rites is a diverse collection of texts of uncertain origin and date that lacks the overall structure found in the other "rites" texts (the Rites of Zhou and the Etiquette and Ceremonial).[1] Some sections consist of definitions of ritual terms, particularly those found in the Etiquette and Ceremonial, while others contain details of the life and teachings of Confucius.[2] Parts of the text have been traced to such pre-Han works as the Xunzi and Lüshi Chunqiu, while others are believed to date from the Former Han period.[3]
During the reign of Qin Shihuang, many of the Confucian classics were destroyed during the 213 BC "Burning of the Books." However, the Qin dynasty collapsed within the decade and Confucian scholars who had memorized the classics or hid written copies recompiled them in the early Han dynasty.[4] 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.[citation needed]
Since then, other scholars have attempted to redact these first drafts. According to the Book of Sui, Dai De reworked the text in the 1st century BC, reducing the original 214 books to 85 in the "Ritual Records of Dai the Elder" (大戴禮記Dà Dài Lǐjì), his nephew Dai Sheng further reduced this to 46 books in the "Ritual Records of Dai the Younger" (小戴禮記Xiǎo Dài Lǐjì), and finally Ma Rong added three books to this bringing the total to 49.[5] Later scholarship has disputed the Book 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 concerning li.[6] 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, when Zheng Xuan, a student of Ma Rong, composed his annotated text of the Rites he 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 the Rites became the basis of the "Right Meaning of the Ritual Records" (禮記正義Lǐjì Zhèngyì) which was the imperially authorised text and commentary on the Rites established in 653 AD.[7]
In 1993, a copy of the "Black Robes" chapter was found in Tomb 1 of the Guodian Tombs in Jingmen, Hubei. Since the tomb was sealed around 300 BCE, the find reactivated academic arguments about the possible dating of the other Liji chapters by the Warring States period.[8]
“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..."[9] 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 the Book of Rites' chapters, using a syncretic system 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 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. Following the decision of the Yuan 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, the Book of Rites and two of its by-products were large integral parts of the Chinese beliefs and industry for many centuries.
(in French) J. M. Callery (1853). Li-Ki, ou Mémorial des rites, traduit pour la première fois du chinois et accompagné de notes, de commentaires et du texte original [Li-Ki, or Memorial of Rites, translated for the first time from Chinese and accompanied by notes, comments and the original text] [1]. Paris: Imprimerie Royale, Benjamin Duprat, librairie de l'institut. [incomplete translation]
(in French and Latin)Couvreur, Séraphin (1913). Li Ki, ou Mémoires sur les bienséances; texte Chinois avec une double traduction en Francais et en Latin [Li Ji, or Dissertation on Proprieties; Chinese text with a double translation in French and Latin], volumes 1 and 2. Hokkien: Mission Catholique.
(in English) Luo, Zhiye (2017). Liji Yingyi (Yingwenban) / Zhonghua Jingdian Yingyi Congshu. Nanjing: Southeast University Press. ISBN9787564153960. [complete translation]
^"Annotated Edition of "The Book of Rites"". World Digital Library. 1190–1194. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
^Müller, Max, ed. (1879). "Preface". The Sacred Books of China. The Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 3. Trans. James Legge. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. xviii–xix. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
^Jeffrey K. Riegel, “Li chi 禮記,” in Michael Lowe, ed., Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide (Berkeley CA: The Society for the Study of Early China and the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, 1993), pp. 293-97; Michael Lowe, “Dai De,” in Xinzhong Yao, edl, RoutledgeCurzon Encyclopedia of Confucianism (New York: Routledge, 2003).
^Liu, Yucai; Habberstad, Luke (2014-11-01). "The Life of a Text: A Brief History of the Liji 禮記 (Rites Records) and Its Transmission". Journal of Chinese Literature and Culture. 1 (1–2): 289–308. doi:10.1215/23290048-2749455. S2CID 162511233.
Buckley Ebrey, Patricia. Confucianism and the Family Rituals in Imperial China. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1991, ISBN978-0-691-03150-7
Chen, Jingpan. Confucius as a Teacher. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1990, ISBN978-0-8351-2240-5
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 (1981), Confucius, Great Britain: The Guernsey Press, ISBN978-0-19-287536-5.
de Bary, Wm. Theodore, Wing-tsit Chan, and Buton Watson. Sources of Chinese Tradition. New York and London: Columbia University Press, 1960, ISBN978-0-231-02255-2
Holm, Jean, and John Bowker. Sacred Writings. London: Printer Publishers Ltd., 1994
Lin Yutang. The Wisdom of Confucius. New York: Random House, Inc., 1938
Nylan, Michael (2001), The five "Confucian" classics, Yale University Press, ISBN978-0-300-08185-5.
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.[2]
Riegel, Jeffrey K. (1993), "Li chi 禮記", 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
Chinese Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Liji 禮記 The Book of Rites, Ulrich Theobald, Chinese Literature, 24 July 2010.
August 19, 2023
book, rites, confused, with, book, rights, also, known, liji, collection, texts, describing, social, forms, administration, ceremonial, rites, zhou, dynasty, they, were, understood, warring, states, early, periods, along, with, rites, zhou, zhōulǐ, book, etiqu. Not to be confused with Book of Rights The Book of Rites also known as the Liji is a collection of texts describing the social forms administration and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods The Book of Rites along with the Rites of Zhou Zhōulǐ and the Book of Etiquette and Rites Yilǐ which are together known as the Three Li Sanlǐ constitute the ritual lǐ section of the Five Classics which lay at the core of the traditional Confucian canon 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 the Classic of Rites or Lijing which some scholars believe was the original title before it was changed by Dai Sheng Book of RitesAn annotated version of the Book of Rites dated before 907Chinese nameTraditional Chinese禮記Simplified Chinese礼记Literal meaning Record of Rites TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinLǐjiWade GilesLi3 chi4IPA li tɕi Yue CantoneseYale RomanizationLaih geiJyutpingLai5 gei3IPA lɐi kei Southern MinHokkien POJLe kiMiddle ChineseMiddle ChineseLej kiOld ChineseBaxter Sagart 2014 Rˤijʔ kre sAlternative Chinese nameTraditional Chinese禮經Simplified Chinese礼经Literal meaningRites ClassicTranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinLǐjingWade GilesLi3 ching1Yue CantoneseYale Romanizationlaih gingJyutpinglai5 ging1Southern MinHokkien POJLe kengTai loLe kingVietnamese nameVietnameseKinh LễHan Nom經禮Korean nameHangul예기Hanja禮記TranscriptionsRevised RomanizationYegiJapanese nameKanji礼記HiraganaらいきTranscriptionsRomanizationRaiki Contents 1 History 2 Li 3 Legacy 4 Contents 5 Translations 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External linksHistory EditThe Book of Rites is a diverse collection of texts of uncertain origin and date that lacks the overall structure found in the other rites texts the Rites of Zhou and the Etiquette and Ceremonial 1 Some sections consist of definitions of ritual terms particularly those found in the Etiquette and Ceremonial while others contain details of the life and teachings of Confucius 2 Parts of the text have been traced to such pre Han works as the Xunzi and Lushi Chunqiu while others are believed to date from the Former Han period 3 During the reign of Qin Shihuang many of the Confucian classics were destroyed during the 213 BC Burning of the Books However the Qin dynasty collapsed within the decade and Confucian scholars who had memorized the classics or hid written copies recompiled them in the early Han dynasty 4 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 citation needed Since then other scholars have attempted to redact these first drafts According to the Book of Sui Dai De reworked the text in the 1st century BC reducing the original 214 books to 85 in the Ritual Records of Dai the Elder 大戴禮記 Da Dai Lǐji his nephew Dai Sheng further reduced this to 46 books in the Ritual Records of Dai the Younger 小戴禮記 Xiǎo Dai Lǐji and finally Ma Rong added three books to this bringing the total to 49 5 Later scholarship has disputed the Book 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 concerning li 6 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 when Zheng Xuan a student of Ma Rong composed his annotated text of the Rites he 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 the Rites became the basis of the Right Meaning of the Ritual Records 禮記正義 Lǐji Zhengyi which was the imperially authorised text and commentary on the Rites established in 653 AD 7 In 1993 a copy of the Black Robes chapter was found in Tomb 1 of the Guodian Tombs in Jingmen Hubei Since the tomb was sealed around 300 BCE the find reactivated academic arguments about the possible dating of the other Liji chapters by the Warring States period 8 Li EditConfucius 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 9 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 EditAs a result of the Book of Rites chapters using a syncretic system 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 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 Following the decision of the Yuan 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 the Book of Rites and two of its by products were large integral parts of the Chinese beliefs and industry for many centuries Contents EditTable of contents Chinese Pinyin Translation01 02 曲禮上下 Qulǐ Summary of the Rules of Propriety Part 1 amp 203 04 檀弓上下 Tangōng Tangong Part 1 amp 205 王制 Wangzhi Royal Regulations06 月令 Yueling Proceedings of Government in the Different Months07 曾子問 Zengzǐ Wen Questions of Zengzi08 文王世子 Wenwang Shizǐ King Wen as Son and Heir09 禮運 Lǐyun The Conveyance of Rites10 禮器 Lǐqi Implements of Rites11 郊特牲 Jiaotesheng Single Victim At The Border Sacrifices12 內則 Neize Pattern of the Family13 玉藻 Yuzǎo Jade Bead Pendants of the Royal Cap14 明堂位 Mingtangwei Places in the Hall of Distinction15 喪服小記 Sangfu Xiǎoji Record of Smaller Matters in the Dress of Mourning16 大傳 Dazhuan Great Treatise17 少儀 Shǎoyi Smaller Rules of Demeanour18 學記 Xueji Record on the Subject of Education19 樂記 Yueji Record on the Subject of Music20 21 雜記上下 Zaji Miscellaneous Records Part 1 amp 222 喪大記 Sang Daji Greater Record of Mourning Rites23 祭法 Jifǎ Law of Sacrifices24 祭義 Jiyi Meaning of Sacrifices25 祭統 Jitǒng A Summary Account of Sacrifices26 經解 Jingjie Different Teaching of the Different Kings27 哀公問 Aigōng Wen Questions of Duke Ai28 仲尼燕居 Zhongni Yanju Zhongni at Home at Ease29 孔子閒居 Kǒngzǐ Xianju Confucius at Home at Leisure30 坊記 Fangji Record of the Dykes31 中庸 Zhōngyōng Doctrine of the Mean32 表記 Biǎoji Record on Example33 緇衣 Ziyi Black Robes34 奔喪 Bensang Rules on Hurrying to Mourning Rites35 問喪 Wensang Questions About Mourning Rites36 服問 Fuwen Subjects For Questioning About the Mourning Dress37 間傳 Jianzhuan Treatise on Subsidiary Points in Mourning Usages38 三年問 Sannian Wen Questions About the Mourning for Three Years39 深衣 Shenyi Long Dress in One Piece40 投壺 Touhu Game of Pitch Pot41 儒行 Ruxing Conduct of the Scholar42 大學 Daxue Great Learning43 冠義 Guanyi Meaning of the Ceremony of Capping44 昏義 Hunyi Meaning of the Marriage Ceremony45 鄉飲酒義 Xiangyǐn Jiǔyi Meaning of the Drinking Festivity in the Districts46 射義 Sheyi Meaning of the Ceremony of Archery47 燕義 Yanyi Meaning of the Banquet48 聘義 Pinyi Meaning of Interchange of Missions twixt Different Courts49 喪服四制 Sangfu Sizhi Four Principles Underlying the Dress of MourningTranslations Edit in English Legge James 1885 Sacred Books of the East volumes 27 and 28 Oxford Oxford University Press complete translation in French J M Callery 1853 Li Ki ou Memorial des rites traduit pour la premiere fois du chinois et accompagne de notes de commentaires et du texte original Li Ki or Memorial of Rites translated for the first time from Chinese and accompanied by notes comments and the original text 1 Paris Imprimerie Royale Benjamin Duprat librairie de l institut incomplete translation in French and Latin Couvreur Seraphin 1913 Li Ki ou Memoires sur les bienseances texte Chinois avec une double traduction en Francais et en Latin Li Ji or Dissertation on Proprieties Chinese text with a double translation in French and Latin volumes 1 and 2 Hokkien Mission Catholique in English Luo Zhiye 2017 Liji Yingyi Yingwenban Zhonghua Jingdian Yingyi Congshu Nanjing Southeast University Press ISBN 9787564153960 complete translation References Edit Riegel 1993 p 283 Riegel 1993 p 295 Riegel 1993 pp 295 296 Annotated Edition of The Book of Rites World Digital Library 1190 1194 Retrieved 2013 09 04 Muller Max ed 1879 Preface The Sacred Books of China The Sacred Books of the East Vol 3 Trans James Legge Oxford Clarendon Press pp xviii xix Retrieved 2011 05 31 Jeffrey K Riegel Li chi 禮記 in Michael Lowe ed Early Chinese Texts A Bibliographical Guide Berkeley CA The Society for the Study of Early China and the Institute of East Asian Studies University of California Berkeley 1993 pp 293 97 Michael Lowe Dai De in Xinzhong Yao edl RoutledgeCurzon Encyclopedia of Confucianism New York Routledge 2003 Liu Yucai Habberstad Luke 2014 11 01 The Life of a Text A Brief History of the Liji 禮記 Rites Records and Its Transmission Journal of Chinese Literature and Culture 1 1 2 289 308 doi 10 1215 23290048 2749455 S2CID 162511233 Puett 137 n 19 Dawson 1981 p 32 Bibliography EditBuckley Ebrey Patricia Confucianism and the Family Rituals in Imperial China New Jersey Princeton University Press 1991 ISBN 978 0 691 03150 7 Chen Jingpan Confucius as a Teacher Beijing Foreign Languages Press 1990 ISBN 978 0 8351 2240 5 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 amp Row Publishers 1949 Dawson Raymond 1981 Confucius Great Britain The Guernsey Press ISBN 978 0 19 287536 5 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 Lin Yutang The Wisdom of Confucius New York Random House Inc 1938 Nylan Michael 2001 The five Confucian classics Yale University Press ISBN 978 0 300 08185 5 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 2 Riegel Jeffrey K 1993 Li chi 禮記 in Loewe Michael ed Early Chinese Texts A Bibliographical Guide Society for the Study of Early China pp 293 297 ISBN 978 1 55729 043 4 Smith Howard Confucius Great Britain Charles Scribner s Sons 1973External links Edit Chinese Wikisource has original text related to this article 禮記 The Book of Rites Chinese and English James Legge s 1885 translation Chinese Text Project Confucian Documents English Liji 禮記 The Book of Rites Ulrich Theobald Chinese Literature 24 July 2010 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Book of Rites amp oldid 1164318372, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
