Chapter 18 Chapter Five Ritual Vessels, Dresses and Ritual Music

Ritual utensils are utensils and other items displayed and used by ancient emperors and nobles during ceremonial activities such as sacrifices, court appointments, banquets, expeditions, and funerals. They are also called Yi utensils.Ritual utensils can be divided into cooking utensils, table utensils, wine utensils, containers, water utensils, etc. according to their purposes, and they are different in type.These utensils first appeared in the lives of ancient humans and were used as utensils for life.At first, it was fired from clay. The shape of the vessel is relatively simple and unpretentious, and there are many painted or carved patterns on the surface.Later, vessels made of stone or jade appeared.After entering the Bronze Age, it was often made of alloys of copper, lead, and tin.With the establishment of the etiquette system, these utensils are often used in ceremonies, and they are often used as a symbol and sign of etiquette, as well as a standard for measuring rank and honor, so they are also called ritual utensils.

Cooking utensils are mainly used for cooking meat and other food, so the ritual utensils of this kind are relatively large.Cooking utensils include tripod, wok [huohuo], 鬲 [li stand], steamer [zeng gift] and other utensils, among which the tripod is the most important.The tripod is composed of three parts: tripod ears, tripod body and tripod feet. Most of its shapes are square or round, with three or four legs.According to different uses, Ding can be divided into Wok Ding (for cooking animal meat), Sheng Ding (cooked meat is put into it, and then processed), and Shading Ding (for meat soup with seasoning).Among the many ritual vessels in ancient times, the tripod is also a symbol of ruling power.According to the regulations of "Zhou Li", the son of heaven listed nine tripods, and nine tripods represented Kyushu to show control and govern the world; seven tripods for princes; five tripods for ministers and senior officials;It can be seen that the number of tripods also reflects the internal level of the ruling group.If you don't follow this regulation, you will be regarded as "arrogant (jianjian)", that is, you have surpassed your own status. This is against the etiquette system and is against the law.But after entering the Spring and Autumn Period, the princes were powerful, and they began to be dissatisfied with the many regulations and restrictions on rank and title in the ritual system of the Zhou Dynasty, and even wanted to be like the emperor and stand in the world.King Zhuang of Chu, one of the "Five Hegemons" in the Spring and Autumn Period, after governing the Chu State, the country became strong and powerful. He successively used troops in Chen, Cai, Zheng, Song and other countries in the Central Plains, and defeated the Jin army that dominated the Central Plains. For arrogance, mighty.Before the king of Chuzhuang was about to gain the supremacy, his head was already inflated, and he ignored the rituals of Zhou, and actually "asked for the crown" to the envoys of the emperor.In 606 BC, King Zhuang of Chu led an army to conquer Lu Hunrong (an ethnic group in the west) in the Luoshui Basin, passing through the border of the Zhou Dynasty (the territory of the Zhou Dynasty at that time, that is, the area directly controlled by the emperor of Zhou, was only equivalent to one When he was a small vassal state), he stood still.King Ding of Zhou saw that the Chu army was stationed at the border, fearing that something might happen, he hurriedly sent his doctor Wang Sunman to comfort King Chuzhuang and his Chu army, hoping that the Chu army could leave as soon as possible.When King Zhuang of Chu saw Wang Sunman, he deliberately asked about the size and weight of the emperor Jiuding.In this regard, Wang Sunman rejected it very harshly. He believed that "establishing a tripod" is a symbol of political power, so "although Zhou De (referring to the rule of the Zhou Dynasty) declined, the destiny has not changed. The importance of the tripod cannot be questioned." "("Zuo Zhuan·Xuan Gong Three Years"). The incident of "Aspire to the Central Plains" shows that King Zhuang of Chu wanted to rule the world, while Wang Sunman tried his best to maintain the declining rule of the Zhou royal family. The struggle between them revolved around the tripod.The theory that "Kyushu" represents the world began with legends.In "Shangshu·Yu Gong", it is recorded that after Dayu controlled the water, he divided the world into nine states.Later generations followed this statement and used Kyushu to refer to China in general.Lu You, a poet of the Song Dynasty, wrote in the poem "Shier": "When you die, you will know everything is empty, but you will not see the same in Kyushu." That is to say, Kyushu refers to the territory of the Song Dynasty.Because of this, since the establishment of the etiquette system in the Western Zhou Dynasty, the supreme rulers of all dynasties have placed Jiuding in various ritual occasions, especially in sacrificial activities, to symbolize the power of ruling.

Food utensils refer to utensils mainly used to hold cooked food such as millet, millet, rice, and sorghum.There are mainly utensils such as (皀殳) [gui rail], dun, 簠 [fufu], 盨 [xu Xu], beans, and lamps.Like the tripod, there are also quantitative regulations for the (皀殳) in the tableware. (皀殳), also written as gui, is a round (also known as rectangular) vessel with two ears.According to the stipulations of the etiquette system of the Zhou Dynasty, (皀殳) as a ritual vessel cannot be used alone.When furnishing and using, it must match the tripod.The specific regulations are: nine tripods for the son of heaven with eight (皀殳); seven tripods for princes with six (皀殳); If it is inferior, if there is only one tripod, it is not worthy (皀殳).

In ancient times, etiquette activities were inseparable from wine, so wine vessels and etiquette also have a very close relationship.Wine vessels are divided into wine containers and drinking vessels, which are equivalent to today's wine pots and wine glasses.Wine vessels mainly include Zunyi (also known as Jue), Jiao, Gou (zhizhi), Gu (gugu), Gu (jiajia), Gong and so on.Containers refer to utensils specially used to hold wine or water, such as you [youyou], 盉 [hehe], zun, pot, 罍 [lei Lei], etc.Water vessels, as the name suggests, are utensils for holding water, including plates, basins, yi [yi shift] and so on.When the ancients held rituals, including in daily life, they must wash their hands before eating.Among the water vessels, 匜 is a vessel specially used for washing hands.When washing, the servants hold the 匜 to water, and the washers wash their hands under the 匜.Put a wash (bronze basin-like utensil) on the ground to hold the water from washing hands to avoid splashing.Washing hands with water filled with water is not only the content of ancient etiquette, but also reflects the hygiene customs of the ancients.

There are many kinds of ritual utensils in ancient China, and not all kinds of ritual utensils are commonly used in all ritual activities.Or for sacrifices, or for banquets.Although the shape and quantity of ritual vessels are mostly directly related to the rank of the owner, sometimes the number of ritual vessels is used to show respect for the user.For example, the food utensil "bean" is used to mark the owner's level. "There are twenty-six beans in the son of heaven, six in ten princes, two in ten princes, eight high-ranking officials, and six low-level officials" ("Yi") "Ritual Ritual Vessels"); at the same time, it is also used for banquets. Beans, five beans for eighty, six beans for ninety, so Ming pension is also "("Book of Rites·Xiangjiuyi").When holding the village drinking ceremony, different numbers of beans are placed in front of the elderly of different ages, which reflects the respect for the elderly, and implies that the older the elderly, the more care and help should be given.