Duke Ai's Questions

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.0

Word count: 1.5K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Duke Ai asked Confucius, saying: "What are the great rites like? How lofty is the gentleman's discussion of rites!" Confucius said: "Qiu is a petty man, not fit to know the rites." The duke said: "No! Speak of them, my master." Confucius said: "I have heard it said: Of all that gives people their means of living, the rites are the greatest. Without the rites there is no way to regulate the service of the spirits of Heaven and Earth; without the rites there is no way to distinguish the positions of ruler and minister, high and low, elder and younger; without the rites there is no way to differentiate the bonds of male and female, father and son, elder and younger brother, and the relations of marriage and social distance; it is for this that the gentleman holds them reverent. Then, with what he is able to do, he teaches the common people, not setting aside the seasonal assemblies and rituals. When the work is accomplished, then he regulates the carvings, patterns, and embroideries to continue them. When they comply with this, then he speaks of the calculations of mourning, prepares the tripods and stands, sets out the pigs and dried meat, maintains the ancestral temple, and at the proper seasons reverently sacrifices, thereby ordering the clan. He rests content in his dwelling, makes plain and simple his clothes, keeps low his palace chambers, does not carve or ornament his carriage, does not engrave or carve his vessels, does not eat double-flavored dishes, and shares the benefits with the people. Thus did the gentlemen of old practice the rites."

Editor's review

"Duke Ai Asked" is a chapter from the Da Dai Liji, a record of questions and answers between Confucius and Duke Ai of Lu. It is brief, yet it concentrates the pre-Qin Confucian discussion of the fundamental nature of li (rites). In the text Confucius elevates the rites to the level of "that by which the people live," moving from the sacrifice to Heaven and Earth and the distinction of ruler and minister, high and low, to the bonds of male and female, father and son, and elder and younger brother, then on to the concrete ceremonies of mourning, ancestral temple, clothing, dwellings, and food and drink, ending with the attitude of practicing the rites "to share the benefits with the people." This edition, published by Bashu Publishing House in 2024, follows the traditional text and is suitable as an introductory single chapter for studying pre-Qin ritual thought. Its value lies not in providing systematic knowledge of ritual institutions but in showing how the rites were understood as the overarching framework of social order and ethical life. Readers may wish to read it alongside related chapters on the rites in the Liji, "Liyun," and the Analects, and to appreciate the "modest refusal—further exposition" pattern of Confucius's replies. For the general reader, this is a short chapter that requires slow reading: the language is archaic but the structure is clear, making it a good sample for close reading of a classic.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in pre-Qin Confucian ritual thought who wish to begin with the original text
Students of Chinese philosophy or classical literature who need to read a single chapter of the Da Dai Liji closely
Lovers of traditional culture who enjoy close reading of short classics and are willing to consult commentaries

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic history of ritual institutions or a practical guide to ceremonial procedure
Beginners who have great difficulty reading classical Chinese and are not yet willing to use annotations

Reading tips

First read through the original text, marking key sentences such as "the rites are the greatest" and "share the benefits with the people" to grasp the structure of the argument
Read alongside relevant commentaries on the Da Dai Liji or chapters on the rites in the Liji to understand the multiple functions of the rites
After reading, try to summarize in a paragraph of plain Chinese Confucius's answer to "What are the rites like?" to test your understanding

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
哀公问第二十七

FAQ

What is the relationship between "Duke Ai Asked" and the chapters in the Liji?

"Duke Ai Asked" comes from the Da Dai Liji. It belongs, together with the Xiao Dai Liji—commonly called the Liji—to the Han-dynasty compilation tradition of ritual literature, but the sources and arrangement of the chapters differ. Both include question-and-answer material on the rites attributed to Confucius and may be read together, but this chapter should not be treated directly as one of the chapters of the Liji.

What aspects of the rites does this short text mainly discuss?

Confucius begins with the relation between the rites and the sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, extends to the ordering of ruler and minister, high and low, elder and younger, and the distinctions of closeness and distance among male and female, father and son, and elder and younger brother, then touches on concrete ceremonies of mourning, ancestral temple, clothing, dwellings, and food and drink, and finally uses "sharing the benefits with the people" to explain the gentleman's attitude in practicing the rites, moving from宏观 order down to daily moderation.

Can someone without a foundation in classical Chinese read this?

Yes, but with the help of annotations and a translation. The text is not long; the main difficulties are ritual terminology and syntax. It is advisable to choose an edition with detailed annotations, first read the translation to get the general meaning, then go back to the original and work through it sentence by sentence; there is no need to master it all at once.

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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.