Jade Pendant

AnonymousJinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJun 2024

4.0

Word count: 3.3K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The Jade Pendant: The Son of Heaven wears a jade pendant with twelve tassels, flowing deep and long before and behind, with dragons coiling for the sacrifice. In dark ceremonial robes he pays homage to the sun outside the east gate, and receives the new month outside the south gate; in an intercalary month he closes the left leaf of the gate and stands within. In leather cap he holds daily court, and thereafter takes his meal; at midday he eats the remainder, and eats to music. On ordinary days he has a lesser offering; on the first of the month, a great offering. There are five drinks: water above all, then jiang, wine, li, and yi. When the meal is finished, he dwells in dark ceremonial robes.

Editor's review

Yü Tsao is a chapter of the Li Chi that records the dress, ritual, and daily conduct of the Son of Heaven and the shih, written in an archaic style and dense with detail. This edition is reproduced or arranged from the old Shanghai Chin-chang Shu-chü printing, preserving the form of traditional commentary and annotation. It has documentary value for the study of pre-Ch'in ritual, dress systems, and court life. From the Son of Heaven's twelve-tasseled crown, his homage to the sun in dark robes, and his reception of the month at the south gate, to the order of the five drinks at daily meals and the distinction between the lesser and great offerings at the new and full moon, the chapter forms a verifiable set of life rituals; it is both an introduction to ritual studies and a basis for the investigation of ancient names and objects. Some grounding in classical studies is needed; it is best used alongside commentaries on the Li Chi and reference works on ritual. Suited to close reading by students of traditional culture and enthusiasts of ancient dress and antiquarian lore, and useful as supplementary reading in university courses on classical studies and history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students of classical studies and history working on pre-Ch'in ritual and dress systems
Enthusiasts of ancient antiquarian research and institutional systems
University teachers and students of Chinese ancient history and classical texts
Students of traditional culture who wish to read the Li Chi closely

Not a good fit for

General readers without classical Chinese who are new to ancient texts
Readers expecting vernacular storytelling or light reading
Readers who only want a general overview of ritual without reading the original

Reading tips

Read the original through once, marking unfamiliar names, objects, and offices, then work through it item by item with the help of commentaries.
Read it alongside other chapters of the Li Chi to map the overall structure of the Son of Heaven's daily ritual.
Keep reference works on ancient dress and food at hand to check terms such as liu, hsüan-tuan, and the five drinks.
After reading, make categorized notes by scene—homage to the sun, reception of the month, leisure at home—for review.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
玉藻第十三

FAQ

What is Yü Tsao mainly about?

Yü Tsao is a chapter of the Li Chi. It mainly records the dress regulations and daily ritual of the Son of Heaven and the shih, including the crown-and-tassel system, the ceremonies of homage to the sun and reception of the month, the order of food and drink, and the offerings at new and full moon. It is an important text for the study of pre-Ch'in ritual and standards of conduct.

Can readers without classical Chinese read this book?

Reading the original directly will be quite difficult. The chapter is dense with terms for objects, offices, and ritual vessels. Some ability to read classical Chinese is advisable, or use it alongside a modern annotated translation and reference works; otherwise readers may stay at the surface and miss the institutional background.

Is this book suitable for academic research?

It is suitable as a primary text. The old Shanghai Chin-chang Shu-chü edition preserves the appearance of traditional block printing and can be used for textual comparison and research on ritual names and objects. For research, however, one should still consult standard critical editions and commentaries of successive periods, and not argue from a single edition alone.

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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.