Book of Rites

The Book of Rites, also known as the Liji, is a collection of texts

describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the
Book of Rites
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 An annotated version of the Book of
Classic of Rites or Lijing, which some scholars believe was the Rites, dated before 907
original title before it was changed by Dai Sheng. Chinese name
Traditional Chinese

Contents
Simplified Chinese 记
Literal meaning "Record of
History Rites"
Li Transcriptions
Legacy Standard Mandarin
Contents Hanyu Pinyin Lǐjì
Translations Wade–Giles Li3-chi4
References IPA [lì tɕî]
Bibliography Yue: Cantonese
External links Yale Romanization Láih-gei
Jyutping Lai5 gei3
IPA [lɐ̬i kēi]
History
Southern Min
The Book of Rites is a diverse collection of texts of uncertain origin Hokkien POJ Lé-kì
and date that lacks the overall structure found in the other "rites" texts Middle Chinese
(the Rites of Zhou and the Etiquette and Ceremonial).[1] Some
Middle Chinese Léj-kì
sections consist of definitions of ritual terms, particularly those found
in the Etiquette and Ceremonial, while others contain details of the Old Chinese
life and teachings of Confucius.[2] Parts of the text have been traced Baxter–Sagart (2014) *Rˤijʔ krə-s
to such pre-Han works as the Xunzi and Lüshi Chunqiu, while others Alternative Chinese name
are believed to date from the Former Han period.[3]
Traditional Chinese
During the reign of Qin Shihuang, many of the Confucian classics
were destroyed during the 213 BC "Burning of the Books."
Simplified Chinese 经
However, the Qin dynasty collapsed within the decade and Confucian Literal meaning Rites Classic
scholars who had memorized the classics or hid written copies Transcriptions
recompiled them in the early Han dynasty.[4] The Book of Rites was Standard Mandarin
said to have been fully reconstructed, but the Classic of Music could
not be recompiled and fragments principally survive in the "Record of Hanyu Pinyin Lǐjīng
Music" (Yueji) chapter of the Book of Rites. Wade–Giles Li3-ching1
Since then, other scholars have attempted to redact these first drafts. Yue: Cantonese
According to the Book of Sui, Dai De reworked the text in the 1st Yale Romanization láih gīng
century BC, reducing the original 214 books to 85 in the "Ritual
Records of Dai the Elder" ( ⼤戴 Dà Dài Lǐjì), his nephew Dai Jyutping lai5 ging1
Sheng further reduced this to 46 books in the "Ritual Records of Dai Vietnamese name
the Younger" ( ⼩戴 Xiǎo Dài Lǐjì), and finally Ma Rong added Vietnamese Kinh Lễ
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 Hán-Nôm 經禮
attribute these revisions to either Dai De or Dai Sheng, although both Korean name
of them were Confucian scholars specialising in various texts
concerning li.[6] Nevertheless, at this time these texts were still being
Hangul 예기
edited, with new script and old script versions circulating, and the Hanja 禮記
content not yet fixed. However, when Zheng Xuan, a student of Ma Transcriptions
Rong, composed his annotated text of the Rites he combined all of the
Revised Romanization Yegi
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 Japanese name
the Rites became the basis of the "Right Meaning of the Ritual
Records" ( 正義 Lǐjì Zhèngyì) which was the imperially
Kanji 礼記
authorised text and commentary on the Rites established in 653 Transcriptions
AD.[7] Romanization Reiki

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 and combining Daoist and Mohist beliefs,
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 great 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
 Table of contents
## Chinese Pinyin Translation

01-02 曲禮上下 Qūlǐ Summary of the Rules of Propriety Part 1 & 2

03-04 檀⼸上下 Tángōng Tangong Part 1 & 2

05 王制 Wángzhì Royal Regulations

06 ⽉令 Yuèlìng Proceedings of Government in the Different Months

07 曾⼦問 Zēngzǐ Wèn Questions of Zengzi

08 ⽂王世⼦ Wénwáng Shìzǐ King Wen as Son and Heir

09 禮運 Lǐyùn The Conveyance of Rites

10 禮器 Lǐqì Implements of Rites

11 郊特牲 Jiāotèshēng Single Victim At The Border Sacrifices

12 內則 Nèizé Pattern of the Family

13 ⽟藻 Yùzǎo Jade-Bead Pendants of the Royal Cap

14 明堂位 Míngtángwèi Places in the Hall of Distinction

15 喪服⼩記 Sàngfú Xiǎojì Record of Smaller Matters in the Dress of Mourning

16 ⼤傳 Dàzhuàn Great Treatise

17 少儀 Shǎoyí Smaller Rules of Demeanour

18 學記 Xuéjì Record on the Subject of Education

19 樂記 Yuèjì Record on the Subject of Music

20-21 雜記上下 Zájì Miscellaneous Records Part 1 & 2

22 喪⼤記 Sàng Dàjì Greater Record of Mourning Rites

23 祭法 Jìfǎ Law of Sacrifices

24 祭義 Jìyì Meaning of Sacrifices

25 祭統 Jìtǒng A Summary Account of Sacrifices

26 經解 Jīngjiě Different Teaching of the Different Kings

27 哀公問 Āigōng Wèn Questions of Duke Ai

28 仲尼燕居 Zhòngní Yànjū Zhongni at Home at Ease

29 孔⼦閒居 Kǒngzǐ Xiánjū Confucius at Home at Leisure

30 坊記 Fāngjì Record of the Dykes

31 中庸 Zhōngyōng Doctrine of the Mean

32 表記 Biǎojì Record on Example

33 緇⾐ Zīyī Black Robes

34 奔喪 Běnsàng Rules on Hurrying to Mourning Rites

35 Wènsàng Questions About Mourning Rites

 問喪
36 服問 Fúwèn Subjects For Questioning About the Mourning Dress

37 間傳 Jiānzhuàn Treatise on Subsidiary Points in Mourning Usages

38 三年問 Sānnián Wèn Questions About the Mourning for Three Years

39 深⾐ Shēnyī Long Dress in One Piece

40 投壺 Tóuhú Game of Pitch-Pot

41 儒⾏ Rúxíng Conduct of the Scholar

42 ⼤學 Dàxué Great Learning

43 冠義 Guānyì Meaning of the Ceremony of Capping

44 昏義 Hūnyì Meaning of the Marriage Ceremony

45 鄉飲酒義 Xiāngyǐn Jiǔyì Meaning of the Drinking Festivity in the Districts

46 射義 Shèyì Meaning of the Ceremony of Archery

47 燕義 Yànyì Meaning of the Banquet

48 聘義 Pìnyì Meaning of Interchange of Missions twixt Different Courts

49 喪服四制 Sàngfú Sìzhì Four Principles Underlying the Dress of Mourning

Translations
(in English) Legge, James (1885). Sacred Books of the East, volumes 27 (https://archive.org/de
tails/sacredbooksofchi03conf) and 28 (https://archive.org/details/sacredbooksofchi04conf).
Oxford: Oxford University Press. [complete translation]
(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] (https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5425530x/f4.image.texteImage). 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 (https://archi
ve.org/details/likioummoiress01couvuoft) and 2 (https://archive.org/details/likioummoiress02co
uvuoft). Hokkien: Mission Catholique.
(in English) Luo, Zhiye (2017). Liji Yingyi (Yingwenban) / Zhonghua Jingdian Yingyi Congshu.
Nanjing: Southeast University Press. ISBN 9787564153960. [complete translation]

References
1. Riegel (1993), p. 283.
2. Riegel (1993), p. 295.
3. Riegel (1993), pp. 295–296.
4. "Annotated Edition of "The Book of Rites" " (http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11379/). World Digital
Library. 1190–1194. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
5. Müller, Max, ed. (1879). "Preface". The Sacred Books of China (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/In
dex:Sacred_Books_of_the_East_-_Volume_3.djvu). The Sacred Books of the East. 3. Trans.
James Legge. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. xviii–xix. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
禮記
6. Jeffrey K. Riegel, “Li chi ,” 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).
禮記
7. Liu, Yucai; Habberstad, Luke (2014-11-01). "The Life of a Text: A Brief History of the Liji
(Rites Records) and Its Transmission". Journal of Chinese Literature and Culture. 1 (1–2): 289–
308. doi:10.1215/23290048-2749455 (https://doi.org/10.1215%2F23290048-2749455).
8. Puett, 137 n.19.
9. Dawson (1981), p. 32.

Bibliography
Buckley Ebrey, Patricia. Confucianism and the Family Rituals in Imperial China. New Jersey:
Princeton University Press, 1991, ISBN 978-0-691-03150-7
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, 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
Jingpan, Chen. Confucius as a Teacher. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1990, ISBN 978-0-
8351-2240-5
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] (https://www.academia.edu/4212163/_Centering_th
e_Realm_Wang_Mang_the_Zhouli_and_Early_Chinese_Statecraft._)
禮記
Riegel, Jeffrey K. (1993), "Li chi ", 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, 1973

External links
The Book of Rites (http://ctext.org/liji) (Chinese and English, James Legge's 1885 translation) -
Chinese Text Project
Confucian Documents (https://web.archive.org/web/20150511111630/http://sacred-texts.com/cf
u/index.htm#tcb) (English)
Liji禮記 The Book of Rites (http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Classics/liji.html), Ulrich
Theobald, Chinese Literature, 24 July 2010.
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