Sacrificial Text

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2020

3.0

Word count: 5.5K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Jiwén, a genre name. A piece of writing used at sacrifices or memorial ceremonies to express mourning or offer prayers. It takes two forms: verse and prose. Its content mainly consists of mourning, praying, recalling the deceased's chief life experiences, praising his virtues and achievements, giving expression to grief, and encouraging the living. At the same time, jiwén is also a mourning article written for commemorating the dead, to be read aloud at sacrifices. It evolved from the ancient zhùwén (blessing text); its language includes prose, rhymed phrases, and parallel phrases.

Editor's review

Jifa unfolds around the genre of jiwén, explaining that it is used at sacrifices or memorial ceremonies to express mourning and offer prayers, that it takes verse and prose forms, and that its content mostly recalls the deceased's life, praises virtues and achievements, gives expression to grief, and encourages the living. The book also notes that jiwén evolved from the ancient zhùwén, and that its language includes prose, rhymed phrases, and parallel phrases, showing that its forms are not monolithic. For ordinary readers, the book's value lies in providing a framework for understanding traditional mourning documents: attention both to emotional expression and to genre norms and ritual occasions. While reading, notice how jiwén keeps its measure between grief and praise, and which forms suit which sacrificial settings. If used as a writing reference, one should first understand its ritual background and then study its phrasing, avoiding taking only set phrases while neglecting genuine feeling.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in traditional ritual genres and mourning culture
Writers who need to understand jiwén formats and wording
Students studying ancient practical genres or preparing related courses
Those engaged in folklore and local culture collection and research

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for modern eulogy templates to apply directly
Those interested only in literary stories and unwilling to engage with ritual background
Specialist researchers needing systematic textual collation or deep scholarly verification

Reading tips

First distinguish the three forms—verse, prose, and parallel phrases—and compare one piece of each to observe differences in wording.
While reading, mark the layers of “mourning,” “praying,” “recalling,” and “praising” to sort out the structure of jiwén.
If using it as a writing reference, first list the key points of the deceased's life, then consider which form to use; do not directly apply set phrases.
Understand the occasions for jiwén in light of local sacrificial customs, and avoid reading it in isolation from its ritual context.

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
祭文总序
卷七
祃牙文篇第七十三
祃马文篇第七十四
祭蚩尤文篇第七十五
祭名山大川文篇第七十六
祭风伯雨师文篇第七十七
祭縦沙门天王文篇第七十八
露布篇第七十九
治人药方第八十
治马药方第八十一

FAQ

What is the difference between jiwén and an ordinary eulogy?

Jiwén is a genre read aloud at sacrifices or memorial ceremonies, with verse, prose, and parallel-phrase forms; its content combines mourning, prayer, recollection, and praise, and it is tied to traditional sacrificial ritual. An ordinary eulogy is more often spoken at modern memorial occasions and is relatively freer in form.

Can jiwén be written only in verse?

No. The material explicitly says jiwén has two forms, verse and prose, and that its language includes prose, rhymed phrases, and parallel phrases, showing that its forms are diverse and can be chosen according to occasion and expressive need; it is not limited to verse.

Can reading this book teach me to write jiwén?

It can give you a basic understanding, but do not expect quick mastery. The book explains jiwén's uses, forms, and layers of content, so readers can learn its format and sense of measure; actual writing still requires combining the deceased's specific life with the sacrificial occasion, emphasizing genuine feeling rather than piling up set phrases.

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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.