The Imperial Tour of Inspection

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

2.3

Word count: 799 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Zisi traveled to Qi, and Chen Zhuangbo climbed Mount Tai with him to gaze out and behold the ancient inscription of the Son of Heaven's tour of inspection. Master Chen said, "I alone was born too late for the age of the emperors' and kings' feng and shan sacrifices." Zisi said, "Do you not wish it? Now the Zhou house is lowly and the feudal lords have no hegemon. If with the multitude of Qi you joined neighboring states to assist the virtuous among the descendants of Wen and Wu, then the deeds of Huan of Qi and Wen of Jin would be unworthy of mention." Master Chen said, "It is not that I do not delight in this way; my strength cannot bear it. You are a descendant of the sage; I wish to hear something. May I venture to ask whether the rites of the tour of inspection of the former sage emperors and enlightened kings can be heard?" Zisi said, "Whoever seeks to hear does so in order to seek to practice it. Now if you reckon with yourself that you certainly cannot practice it, what is the point of hearing it?" Master Chen said, "Though I am not keen.

Editor's review

This piece uses a dialogue between Zisi and Chen Zhuangbo, who climb Mount Tai and examine an ancient inscription, to open a inquiry into the 'rites of the royal tour of inspection.' Chen Zhuangbo laments that he was born too late for the age of imperial fengshan sacrifices, while Zisi points out that the Zhou house had declined and the feudal lords produced no hegemon; if Qi could unite its neighbors to support a worthy descendant, then even the achievements of Huan of Qi and Wen of Jin would be unworthy of mention. The conversation advances layer by layer, both recounting ancient rites and passing judgment on the contemporary political order, reflecting early Confucian tension between ritual institutions and reality. The text is presented in question-and-answer form, concise in language with forceful turns, and the rhythm of argument can be felt in reading. For readers studying pre-Qin conceptions of ritual, Confucian ethics of ruler and minister, and question-and-answer literature, this is a short piece worth close reading. The Bashu Press edition helps place the text within the context of ritual studies and political thought, suitable for thematic seminars or courses on classics.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students of literature and history specializing in pre-Qin Confucian ritual and political thought
Classics readers interested in question-and-answer texts and ancient argumentative style
Teachers offering thematic courses on traditional Chinese ritual culture
Readers interested in ancient records of institutions such as royal tours and fengshan sacrifices

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a complete history of ritual or a general institutional survey
Readers who prefer light narrative reading and are unaccustomed to classical Chinese dialogue
Beginners who need extensive annotation and detailed background research to read

Reading tips

First clarify the identities and positions of both speakers, then sort out the logical layers of Zisi's replies paragraph by paragraph.
Read the comments on the Zhou house and the feudal lords against the basic historical background of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
After reading, try to restate in your own words Zisi's view of the relation between 'seeking to hear' and 'putting into practice.'
Read alongside relevant ritual chapters in the Book of Rites to appreciate differences in how various texts describe the rites of the royal tour.

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
巡狩第八

FAQ

What is the core discussion of this 'Royal Tour of Inspection'?

The core is Chen Zhuangbo asking Zisi about the rites of royal tours by ancient sage kings and enlightened rulers. Zisi does not directly list ritual regulations; he first asks the purpose of seeking to hear, emphasizing 'seeking in order to practice,' and from this draws out comments on the relation between contemporary political reality and ancient rites.

Why does Zisi first ask Chen Zhuangbo a question in return?

Zisi believes that seeking to hear is for the sake of practice; if one calculates that one certainly cannot practice it, then hearing is useless. This question turns the topic from an inquiry into knowledge toward an examination of the will to practice, embodying the Confucian emphasis on practice and giving the later discussion of ritual a practical orientation.

What background should one know before reading this piece?

It is advisable first to understand Zisi's place in the Confucian transmission, the basic situation of the Zhou house's decline and the feudal lords' contention for hegemony, and the general meaning of royal tours and fengshan sacrifices in ancient ritual. With this common knowledge, the practical references in the dialogue are easier to grasp.

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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.