The Officers Clear Away

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.8

Word count: 6.3K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

This chapter records the rites of the yeping (guest-assisting) ceremony held in the hall after the sacrifice. It and the preceding chapter, the Shaolao kuishi li, were originally a single chapter, divided in two because the bamboo slips were too bulky; scholars have therefore traditionally regarded this chapter as the lower or continuation chapter of the Shaolao kuishi li, just as the Shisang li is divided off from the Jixi li.

Editor's review

"Yousi Che" is the special chapter in the Yili that records the rites of entertaining the impersonator of the dead in the hall after the sacrifice. It was originally one text with "Shaolao Kuishi Li" and was divided into two because the bamboo slips were bulky; scholars have consistently regarded it as the lower or continuation chapter of "Shaolao Kuishi Li," comparable in nature to the separate "Jixi Li" from the "Shisang Li." This 2024 edition from Bashu Shushe offers readers a version close to the original classic. The chapter's value lies in presenting completely the ritual sequence of the latter half of the sacrifice; it is an indispensable link for understanding the chain of pre-Qin sacrificial ritual. To read only "Shaolao Kuishi Li" without this chapter is to stop at the first half and fail to grasp the whole. The density of names, objects, positions, and formulas makes plain the meticulous, rigorous style of ritual writing. It suits specialized readers studying the Yili, pre-Qin ritual institutions, and the history of classical learning for close reading, and can also serve as a base text for reading groups devoted to ritual studies. General readers curious about ancient ritual may first learn the gist of "Shaolao Kuishi Li" before entering this chapter, lest they be bogged down in minute ritual details.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars of the Yili and of pre-Qin ritual institutions in classical studies
Advanced undergraduates and graduate students taking courses in ancient ritual and textual studies
Reading groups or thematic seminars centered on primary texts of ritual studies
Traditional-culture enthusiasts interested in the textual reconstruction of pre-Qin sacrificial procedures

Not a good fit for

General readers seeking a quick, story-driven experience from classical texts
Beginners without classical Chinese or familiarity with ritual-studies terminology
Those who want only a general sketch of ancient rites and prefer not to examine ceremonial details

Reading tips

Read the Shaolao kuishi li first, then this chapter, following the original order of the chapters to understand how the first and second halves of the sacrifice connect.
Prepare a table of ritual steps, marking positions, vessels, and speeches as you read, to clarify the order of the ceremony.
When you meet difficulties over names of objects and institutions, consult ritual commentaries and reference works; do not try to read straight through at once.
Read it alongside the Shisang li and the Jixi li to appreciate the editorial logic of dividing a single rite into separate chapters.

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
有司彻第十七

FAQ

What is the relationship between the Yousi che and the Shaolao kuishi li?

The two were originally one chapter, divided in two because the bamboo slips were too bulky. Scholars have traditionally held that the Yousi che is in fact the lower or continuation chapter of the Shaolao kuishi li, just as the Jixi li is divided off from the Shisang li. They should therefore be read as a whole; this chapter records the rites of the yeping ceremony in the hall after the sacrifice.

Can someone with no background in ritual studies read this book directly?

You can try, but it is quite difficult. The ceremonies in this chapter are detailed and the terminology dense, so without a foundation it is easy to get lost. It is advisable first to grasp the basic framework of the Shaolao kuishi li and common ritual concepts, or to read with a guided reading group, before turning to the original text of this chapter; understanding will then be much smoother.

How does reading this chapter help in understanding pre-Qin ritual institutions?

This chapter fully presents the rites of the yeping ceremony in the hall, the second half of the sacrifice, and is the concluding link in the chain of sacrificial ritual. Reading only the preceding chapter without this one leaves the picture of the whole sacrifice incomplete. Through this chapter one can observe the arrangement of positions, the display of vessels, and the exchanges of speeches, and appreciate the detailed and rigorous style of the ritual texts.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

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.