Tan Gong, Part One

AnonymousThe Commercial Press · ChinaJun 2024

4.2

Word count: 6.9K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

"Tan Gong I" is one of the chapters in the Book of Rites (Liji), an important work of Confucianism. The Book of Rites is a significant ancient Chinese book on institutions and ceremonial regulations. It was compiled by the Western Han ritual scholar Dai De and his nephew Dai Sheng. The eighty-five-chapter edition compiled by Dai De was called the Da Dai Liji (Book of Rites of Dai the Elder); in the course of transmission it was preserved only intermittently, and by the Tang dynasty only thirty-nine chapters remained. The forty-nine-chapter edition compiled by Dai Sheng was called the Xiao Dai Liji (Book of Rites of Dai the Younger), which is the Book of Rites we see today. The two books each have their own emphases and selections, and each has its own characteristics. In the late Eastern Han, the famous scholar Zheng Xuan wrote an outstanding commentary on the Xiao Dai Liji; afterward this edition became ever more widely circulated and gradually developed from a work explicating the classics into a classic itself. In the Tang dynasty it was listed as one of the "Nine Classics," and in the Song dynasty it was included among the "Thirteen Classics," becoming a book that every scholar had to read.

Editor's review

"Tan Gong I" is one of the most narrative and emotionally rich chapters in the Book of Rites. It largely records pre-Qin ritual institutions and ceremonial details along with the words and deeds of historical figures, touching on mourning rites, sacrifices, and the way of ruler and minister, father and son; its language is concise and vivid with a strong sense of scene. This facsimile reprint of the original edition published by the Commercial Press in the Republican period preserves the old-style typesetting, allowing readers to appreciate the typographic style of modern scholars' editions of classical texts. The chapter contains both dialogues between Confucius and his disciples and discussions of ritual adaptation, making it a suitable introductory text for understanding Confucian views of ritual propriety. When reading, one may first go through the plain text, then consult old commentaries such as Zheng Xuan's, taking care to distinguish ritual regulations from narrative parables and to grasp the practical flexibility of "ritual" in specific contexts. For readers studying the history of classical scholarship, the history of ritual customs, or ancient intellectual history, this chapter can be read alongside other chapters of the Book of Rites to perceive the significant from the subtle.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students of literature and history specializing in Confucian classics and ritual thought
Enthusiasts of ancient culture interested in pre-Qin ritual institutions and mourning and sacrificial customs
Teachers who need the text of the Book of Rites for teaching or thesis writing
Readers with a collecting interest in Republican-era facsimile editions of classical texts

Not a good fit for

General leisure readers seeking vernacular stories or light reading
Complete beginners with no foundation in classical Chinese who are unwilling to consult annotations

Reading tips

First read through the plain text once, marking personal names and ritual terms, then understand it paragraph by paragraph with reference to old commentaries.
Read passages on mourning rites and sacrifices alongside other chapters of the Book of Rites to trace the outlines of ritual institutions.
Combine traditional annotations such as Zheng Xuan's, paying attention to old commentaries' explanations of names and institutions.
Take notes on the dialogues between Confucius and his disciples in the chapter, summarizing ritual principles and examples of adaptation.

About the publisher

The Commercial Press China · Founded in 1897

"Republic-era Commercial Press Original Editions" refers to original books printed by The Commercial Press during the Republican period, not a separate publishing house. Judging from the 300 titles held in the collection, its publishing focus centers on classical poetry and lyrics, literary appreciation, classic works, military texts, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy. Representative titles include Wang Guowei's Renjian Cihua, Zhong Rong's Shipin, the lyric collections of Xin Qiji and Liu Yong, Sun Wu's The Art of War, and Lü Buwei's Xianshi Lan. Its author resources are mainly classical writers, together with modern scholars such as Li Jingbang and Guo Huaruo, whose collations and annotations are also represented, giving the list a character centered on original texts while attending to annotation and appreciation. Public information on the precise Republican-era catalog and printings is limited; this overview is based only on the titles held in the collection.

版权信息
檀弓上第三

FAQ

Can I read "Tan Gong I" without any foundation in classical Chinese?

You can try, but you will need to rely on annotations and reference works. It is advisable first to read an annotated and translated selection of the Book of Rites to become familiar with the style, then return to this facsimile edition for comparative reading, focusing on the narrative passages without insisting on understanding every word.

What is "Tan Gong I" mainly about?

This chapter largely records pre-Qin mourning rites, sacrifices, and other ceremonial details, as well as questions and answers between Confucius and his disciples on ritual practice, and also includes discussions of ritual adaptation and the relationship between human feeling and ritual propriety. It is one of the more narrative chapters in the Book of Rites.

What is the reading value of the facsimile reprint of the original Commercial Press edition from the Republican period?

The facsimile preserves the layout and character usage of old-style typesetting, allowing a direct sense of how classical texts were edited in the modern period; it is convenient for comparing editions and for understanding how the text of the Book of Rites circulated during the Republican era.

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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.