Book of Rites

戴德Qunyan Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.8

Word count: 123K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The Book of Rites is a major work for the study of ancient Chinese society, its institutions, and Confucian thought. The ideas it sets forth span society, politics, ethics, philosophy, religion, and more; among its chapters, the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Evolutions of Li contain especially rich philosophical thought. The Book of Rites was compiled by Dai Sheng of the Western Han from earlier works on rites and ceremonies dating from before the Qin and Han dynasties, in forty-nine chapters. It is one of the Thirteen Classics. It reflects the social changes from the Warring States period through the Western Han, including the inheritance and transformation of social systems, ritual institutions, and people's ideas, and is one of the Confucian classics. Its forty-nine chapters fall into categories such as institutions, general discussions, the Yin-Yang of the Bright Hall, mourning dress, the duties of the heir, sacrifices, the Record of Music, and auspicious events. The ideas it sets forth span society, politics, ethics, philosophy, religion, and more; among its chapters, the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Evolutions of Li contain especially rich philosophical thought. In the late Eastern Han, the renowned scholar Zheng Xuan wrote an outstanding commentary on the Lesser Dai Book of Rites; this edition then prevailed without decline and gradually rose from a work expounding the classics to a classic in its own right. "By the Tang dynasty, the rites comprised the Rites of Zhou, the Ceremonials, and the Book of Rites; the Spring and Autumn Annals comprised the Zuo Tradition, the Gongyang, and the Guliang; together with the Analects, the Erya, and the Classic of Filial Piety, these formed the Twelve Classics; in the Song and Ming, the Mencius was added, and they were fixed as the Thirteen Classics." It was a book that every scholar had to read.

Editor's review

The Book of Rites is a foundational text for understanding ritual institutions and Confucian thought from the pre-Qin through the Western Han. This Qunyan Press edition takes as its scope the forty-nine chapters transmitted by Dai De and compiled by Dai Sheng. What sets it apart is that it is not merely a manual of ritual procedure: categories such as institutions, general discussions, mourning dress, sacrifices, and the Record of Music stand side by side, offering both concrete rules for capping, marriage, mourning, and sacrifice and philosophical chapters such as the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Evolutions of Li, which discuss self-cultivation, mind and nature, and social ideals. Zheng Xuan's Eastern Han commentary gradually elevated the Lesser Dai Book of Rites from a work expounding the classics to a classic in its own right; in the Tang it was listed among the Twelve Classics, and in the Song and Ming, with the addition of the Mencius, it was fixed as one of the Thirteen Classics, a book every scholar had to read. Reading it today matters for two reasons: it returns to the origins of Confucian social ideals and ethical order, and it shows how the ancients used "rites" to settle the measure of daily life. It is best not to read it straight through; instead, enter through selections from the three categories of institutions, general discussions, and philosophical thought, and use annotations to understand names, objects, and institutions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students of literature, history, and philosophy who need to study Confucian classics and ritual content in depth
Secondary-school Chinese teachers preparing lessons that involve selections such as the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Evolutions of Li
Readers of traditional culture who wish to understand ancient ritual institutions and social ethics systematically
Enthusiasts of intellectual history interested in the evolution of Confucian ideas from the Warring States to the Western Han

Not a good fit for

Casual readers who want only story-driven, entertaining classical texts; this book's format leans toward institutions and argumentation
Beginners who need a complete modern Chinese translation and do not wish to engage the classical original
Readers seeking a practical guide to modern social etiquette; the ritual institutions in this book are far removed from contemporary life

Reading tips

Read the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Evolutions of Li first to form an overall impression of the book's intellectual tone.
Read by category, skipping around: institutions for social structure, mourning dress and sacrifices for ethical relations, the Record of Music for the pairing of ritual and music.
When names, objects, or institutions get in the way, read Zheng Xuan's commentary alongside modern annotations, first clarifying the meaning and then seeking the underlying principles.
After finishing each category, summarize in two or three sentences the ritual problems it addresses, forming your own framework.

About the publisher

Qunyan Publishing House China · Founded in 1989

Founded in 1989, Qunyan Publishing House has long been committed to publishing academic and educational books for mid- and high-level readers, and has built up a certain presence in Eastern philosophy, classical literature, and classic works. Representative titles available in the database include Records of the Grand Historian, Dream of the Red Chamber, Selections of Refined Literature, Complete Song Ci, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Record of Daily Knowledge, Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang, and The Collected Works of Wang Yangming, covering common categories such as ancient poetry, medicine, and examinations. Its author resources include Sima Qian, Cao Xueqin, Xiao Tong, Li Shan, Pu Songling, and Gu Yanwu. The press also offers distinctive series such as the Biographical Series of the China Democratic League and the Historical Documents Series of the China Democratic League, and publishes research on historical documents, biographies, memoirs, and textbooks and academic works by League members. Public information is limited, and its overall publishing scale and complete catalogue require further verification.

版权信息
曲礼上第一

FAQ

How does the Book of Rites differ from the Rites of Zhou and the Ceremonials?

All three belong to the classics of ritual learning but have different emphases: the Ceremonials records specific ceremonial procedures, the Rites of Zhou describes official systems and institutional designs, while the Book of Rites consists mostly of explanations, general discussions, and philosophical elaboration on rites, such as the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Evolutions of Li. When reading the Book of Rites, treat it as an exposition of the principles behind ritual institutions rather than an operations manual.

Can I read this book without a foundation in classical Chinese?

You can try, but you will need assistance. Choose an annotated edition and start with short, argumentative chapters such as the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean, using a reliable modern Chinese translation and commentary to understand them. Chapters on institutional names and objects are more difficult; skip them for now and return once you are familiar with the style.

Why is Zheng Xuan's commentary important in the transmission of the Book of Rites?

Zheng Xuan of the Eastern Han wrote a commentary on the Lesser Dai Book of Rites; its precise annotations gradually gave this work, originally an exposition of the classics, classic status, and it prevailed without decline. Later readers of the Book of Rites generally relied on his commentary as an important basis for understanding names, objects, institutions, and textual meaning, and modern annotated translations often build on it.

What is the relationship between the "Thirteen Classics" and the Book of Rites?

In the Tang dynasty, the ritual classics were the Rites of Zhou, the Ceremonials, and the Book of Rites; together with the Zuo Tradition, the Gongyang, the Guliang, the Analects, the Erya, and the Classic of Filial Piety, these formed the Twelve Classics. In the Song and Ming, the Mencius was added, and they were finally fixed as the Thirteen Classics. The Book of Rites is among them and was long a book every scholar had to read.

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

戴德 Author

Dai De was a Han-dynasty scholar whose dates, birthplace, and other details are limited in publicly available sources; he is known to later generations chiefly through the ritual texts he compiled and edited. Seven related works are included in the collection, with representative titles such as the Book of Rites, the Da Dai Liji, and chapters including Zengzi on Conducting Affairs, Duke Ai's Questions on the Five Meanings, Zengzi on Illness, Zengzi on Fundamental Filial Piety, and Zengzi on Establishing Filial Piety. These works mostly concern ritual norms, gentlemanly self-cultivation, and Confucian ethics, while also involving the organization and transmission of pre-Qin classics; their language is plain and rigorous, typical of early classical scholarship. The Da Dai Liji is closely related to the Book of Rites and is important material for studying ritual thought from pre-Qin times to the early Han; the Zengzi chapters focus on filial piety, personal conduct, and self-cultivation in illness, reflecting Confucianism's emphasis on practice. Dai De's works have lasting influence in Eastern philosophy and classical literature and are often used to understand traditional ritual learning and literary appreciation.