The Four Principles of Mourning Dress

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.0

Word count: 886 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The general substance of ritual lies in embodying Heaven and Earth, taking the four seasons as its model, following yin and yang, and according with human feelings; this is why it is called ritual. Those who criticize it do not understand where ritual arises from. In ritual, auspicious and inauspicious rites follow different paths and must not encroach on each other, a principle drawn from yin and yang. Mourning has four governing principles, which adapt to circumstances and follow what is fitting, a principle drawn from the four seasons. There is kindness and principle, restraint and expediency, a principle drawn from human feelings. Kindness is benevolence; principle is righteousness; restraint is propriety; expediency is wisdom. With benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, the way of humanity is complete.

Editor's review

The "Four Principles of Mourning Attire" is an important text for understanding the general framework of Confucian ritual learning. The opening phrases—"embodying Heaven and Earth, taking the four seasons as its model, following yin and yang, and according with human feelings"—shift the basis of ritual from external norms to the operation of Heaven and Earth and ordinary human feelings. It then pairs kindness, principle, restraint, and expediency with benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, showing that the mourning attire system is not an arbitrary set of rules but a result that takes into account familial kindness, moral principle, restraint, and expediency. The line "auspicious and inauspicious rites follow different paths and must not encroach on each other" also highlights the distinction between mourning rites and auspicious rites in emotion and occasion. This chapter is concise yet dense in argument, making it suitable as a key for studying the ritual theory section of the Book of Rites. The Bashu Press edition makes the original text accessible to readers. It is best read slowly, sorting out the correspondences of the four principles sentence by sentence, and it can be read alongside the "Chapter on Mourning for Parents" to understand what "according with human feelings" specifically refers to; this is quite helpful for understanding the inner logic of traditional ritual institutions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students of literature and history studying Confucian ritual learning and the thought of the Book of Rites
Readers interested in the traditional mourning attire system and its theoretical basis
Students of traditional Chinese learning who need to understand the relationship between benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom and the ritual system
Teachers of traditional culture courses who need to sort out the context of ritual theory

Not a good fit for

Practical readers who only want to consult specific entries and charts of mourning attire regulations
Beginning readers of classical Chinese who do not yet have annotated reading ability
Readers expecting light, popular interpretation and unaccustomed to argumentative analysis

Reading tips

First make a correspondence table of kindness, principle, restraint, and expediency with benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, then reread the original text.
Read alongside the "Chapter on Mourning for Parents" to appreciate how "according with human feelings" is implemented in concrete situations of bereavement.
After reading, try to summarize in your own words "where ritual arises from" to test whether you have truly understood.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
丧服四制第四十九

FAQ

What four principles does "mourning has four governing principles" specifically refer to?

According to the meaning of this chapter, the four principles are kindness, principle, restraint, and expediency, corresponding respectively to benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. "Kindness" is the feeling of affection for kin; "principle" is the correctness of moral principle; "restraint" is the measure and moderation of ritual propriety; "expediency" is adaptation to circumstances. Together they form the theoretical framework by which the mourning attire system balances emotion, reason, norms, and expediency.

What is the relationship between this chapter and the "Chapter on Mourning for Parents"?

The "Chapter on Mourning for Parents" concretely describes the grieving behavior of filial children at the death of a parent and the principle of "not harming the living because of the dead," while the "Four Principles of Mourning Attire" explains theoretically why ritual institutions are established in this way, proposing "according with human feelings" and the framework of kindness, principle, restraint, and expediency. One chapter is concrete and the other is a general outline; reading them together gives a more complete grasp of Confucian thought on mourning rites.

Can I understand this chapter without a foundation in ritual learning?

This chapter is dense in argument and has many terms; readers with no foundation at all will find it difficult to read on their own. It is advisable first to understand the general nature of the Book of Rites and the basic meanings of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, then study it sentence by sentence with annotations; one may also first read more concrete chapters such as the "Chapter on Mourning for Parents," then return to this chapter to sort out the theoretical framework.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.