Sacrificial Rites

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.2

Word count: 325 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Sacrifice is part of the Chinese ritual canon and a central element of Confucian ritual propriety. Of the Five Classics of Ritual, none is weightier than sacrifice, for it is by serving the spirits that blessings are sought. The objects of sacrifice fall into three categories: heavenly deities, earthly spirits, and human ancestors. Sacrifice to heavenly deities is called si, to earthly spirits ji, and to ancestral temples xiang. The understanding of sacrifice is recorded and explained in Confucian works such as the Rites of Zhou, the Book of Rites, the Correct Meaning of the Book of Rites, and the Supplementary Exposition of the Great Learning. In ancient China, “spirits do not accept offerings from those not of their kind, and people do not sacrifice to those not of their clan”; sacrifice was strictly graded. Heavenly deities and earthly spirits were sacrificed to by the Son of Heaven; feudal lords and high officials sacrificed to mountains and rivers; scholars and commoners could sacrifice only to their own ancestors and the stove god. Qingming, the Dragon Boat Festival, and Double Ninth were days for ancestral sacrifice. “Sacrifice” also means revering spirits, beseeching spirits, and worshipping ancestors. In primitive times, people believed the soul could leave the body and exist apart from it. Sacrifice was a derivative of this belief in souls. The earliest sacrificial activities were relatively simple and rather crude. People fashioned idols of spirits from bamboo, wood, or clay, or painted images of spirits—sun, moon, stars, and wild beasts—on rock faces, as vessels for the objects of worship. They then laid out food and other gifts for the spirits before the idols, and the presiding officiant prayed while the sacrificers sang and danced to the spirits. Sacrificial etiquette and offerings followed certain norms.

Editor's review

This book explores the central concept of sacrifice (jisi) in Chinese ritual classics. Starting from the general principle that among the five rites none is more important than sacrifice, it outlines the three categories of recipients—heavenly deities, earthly spirits, and human ancestors—and explains the distinctions among the terms si, ji, and xiang. It also draws on the Zhouli, Liji, Liji Zhengyi, and Daxue Yanyi Bu for interpretations of sacrifice, and on the principle that “spirits do not accept offerings from those not of their kind, and people do not sacrifice to those not of their clan” to illustrate the hierarchical order: the Son of Heaven sacrificed to heavenly deities and earthly spirits, feudal lords and ministers to mountains and rivers, and commoners and scholars to ancestors and the stove god. The book also touches on early conceptions of the soul and simple forms of sacrifice, such as making idols and offering food, song, and dance. For readers seeking a systematic understanding of traditional sacrificial institutions, this is a concise overview that can serve as a framework for further study of the ritual classics.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginners in ritual studies and folklore seeking a framework of sacrificial institutions
Enthusiasts of traditional culture learning the threefold classification of heavenly deities, earthly spirits, and human ancestors
History teachers preparing lessons on ancient ritual and festival customs
Readers interested in the origins of ancestor-worship festivals such as Qingming

Not a good fit for

Practitioners expecting a detailed manual of ritual procedures
Seasoned researchers seeking in-depth monographic scholarship
Readers looking only for light, story-driven cultural writing

Reading tips

First grasp the threefold division of heavenly deities, earthly spirits, and human ancestors, then note the corresponding terms si, ji, and xiang.
Read alongside passages from the Zhouli and Liji to understand the origins of hierarchical rules.
Connect the ancestor-worship content of Qingming, Duanwu, and Chongyang with knowledge of festival customs.
After reading, compile a brief table of sacrificial recipients and the ranks of those who sacrifice to them for review.

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
祭祀

FAQ

How should “spirits do not accept offerings from those not of their kind, and people do not sacrifice to those not of their clan” be understood?

This saying stresses the ethnic and hierarchical boundaries of sacrifice: spirits do not partake of offerings from those outside their kind, and people do not sacrifice to those outside their own lineage. It reflects the strict status restrictions of ancient sacrifice—the Son of Heaven, feudal lords, and commoners each had their own scope of sacrifice, and exceeding one’s rank or sacrificing to the wrong recipient was considered a breach of ritual propriety.

What is the difference between calling sacrifices to heavenly deities si, to earthly spirits ji, and to ancestral temples xiang?

The three terms differ according to the recipient: rites for heavenly deities are called si, those for earthly spirits ji, and those for ancestral temples xiang. This distinction reflects the ancients’ awareness of classifying sacrificial recipients and influenced terminology in later ritual texts; readers should note the context in which each term appears.

Can this book help in understanding ancestor worship at Qingming?

It provides useful background. The book explains that commoners and scholars mainly sacrificed to their own ancestors and notes that Qingming, Duanwu, and Chongyang were days for ancestor worship, helping readers place festival customs within the framework of traditional sacrificial hierarchy and concepts. The evolution of specific customs, however, still requires folklore sources.

The book mentions Daxue Yanyi Bu; do I need to read it first?

No. Daxue Yanyi Bu is one of the works cited for interpretations of sacrifice and serves as further reference. On a first reading, focus on the book’s main lines of sacrificial classification and hierarchy, and consult the original texts later if you wish, rather than plunging into massive commentaries at the outset.

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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.