Chapter 17 The ancient etiquette and customs described in the second section "Yi Li"

"Yili" was only called "Li" in the Han Dynasty.Because it mainly talks about the etiquette of the scholar-official class, it is also called "Scholar Rituals".Compared with "Book of Rites", it is also called "Book of Rites". "Hanshu Yiwenzhi" says "Han Xing, Lu Gaotang's life biography "Shi Li" seventeen chapters".This is the earliest origin of the present "Yi Li".Because this book of rites mainly talks about the rites and procedures of "crowning, fainting, mourning, sacrifice, drinking, shooting, court, engagement" and other ceremonies, it was called "Rituals" after the Jin Dynasty (see "Book of Jin·Xun Song") pass").

In the Han Dynasty, "Yili" was divided into ancient and modern.According to the "Hanshu Yiwenzhi", there are 17 modern classics and 56 ancient classics in "Li".Today's "Yi Li" is the 17 Jinwen scriptures, and the ancient Wenwen scriptures have been lost.According to Zheng Xuan's "Six Arts Theory" quoted in "Zhou Li Justice Preface": "Later, I got fifty-six chapters of the ancient text "Li" in Confucius's wall. Seventeen of them are the same as those passed down by Gao Tangsheng, but the characters are different. Ten of them Outside the seven chapters, there are also "Yi Li".According to this, there is really no difference between the ancient and modern scriptures of "Li" except for the shape of the characters.Regarding "Yi Li", Zhu Xi once sighed: "There are fifty-six ancient rituals, the book was still there in Ban Gu's time, and Zheng Kangcheng also saw it, and the annotations are often cited. I don't know when I lost it, it's a pity." ("Zhu Zi") Genres") It can be seen that the Song Dynasty no longer exists.One said that the two articles "Ben Mian" and "Touhu" in the current "Book of Rites" are the "Yi Li" texts that were included in the "Book of Rites" after the ancient text "Yi Li" was lost.

According to legend, "Yi Li" was written by the Duke of Zhou, which is groundless.But "Book of Rites Miscellaneous Records 2" said: "To commemorate the mourning of (person's name), mourning the public and making children feel sorry for (person's name) Confucius (go to Confucius), and learn "Scholar's Funeral Rites". "Scholar's Funeral Rituals" is so written Come down)." It can be seen that the materials collected in "Yi Li" are very early, and Confucius should use these materials to teach students to practice etiquette.Therefore, it is not unfounded to say that Confucius "fixed (arranged) the rites of Zhou" in "Han Shu Rulin Biography".The following introduces the contents and contents of the 17 chapters of "Yili".

Shi Guan Ceremony: A crowning ceremony held for men at the age of 20, indicating adulthood. Shihun Li: Proposal of marriage, marriage procedure, etiquette. Meeting ceremony: the etiquette of the first visit. Township drinking ceremony: the etiquette of the banquet held in the village to respect the elderly and respect the virtuous. Rural Archery Ceremony: The etiquette of the archery conference held in the village. Yanli: Notes on the banquet held by princes and doctors. Big shot: the etiquette of the archery conference hosted by the monarch. Dowry: Rituals for envoys to other vassal states.

Public Food Doctor Ceremony: A state banquet ceremony for princes to entertain envoys. Judgment Ritual: The etiquette for the princes to meet the King of Zhou. Mourning clothes: the rules for wearing filial piety and mourning. Funeral Rituals: Rituals from Death to Encoffinment. Jixi: Part 2 of "Scholar's Funeral".Funeral, funeral note. Shi Yu Ceremony: A requiem ceremony held at home after a funeral. Special sacrifice feeding ceremony: Ancestral worship ceremony for scholars. The food feeding ceremony of Shaolao: the ancestor worship ceremony of Doctor Qing. You Siche: The second part of "The Ceremony of Giving Food to the Young Prison".After the sacrifice, the food is withdrawn, and the ceremony of rewarding the corpse (the person who represents the deceased to be sacrificed).

The order of these 17 rites has its internal connection.That is: from adulthood, the order is marriage, social interaction, group activities, official activities, death, and after death.The order is also important.The order of schools is different, that is, the views held by the teachers of "Li" are different. What is recorded in "Yili" is only a part of the ancient rituals.In addition, many rituals have been lost.Judging from the titles mentioned in some ancient books, there must be many rules for the court ceremonies such as "The Son of Heaven's Hunting Ceremony" and "Tribute Ceremony".In addition, there are also specific etiquettes for military activities such as military parades, dispatching troops, presenting victories, and presenting prisoners.If classified comprehensively, there are "five rituals" according to "Zhou Li·Chun Guan".They are "auspicious ceremony, fierce ceremony, guest ceremony, military ceremony and Jiali ceremony".

Auspicious ceremony: mainly sacrificial ceremony.In addition to offering sacrifices to ancestors, there are also sacrifices to heaven and earth, the sun, the moon and stars, the country, the five mountains, all things in the four directions and so on.The Taimiao, Tiantan, Ditan, Ritan, Yuetan, Xiannongtan, and Shejitan in Beijing are places where sacrifices are performed. Rituals: Mainly funeral ceremonies.In addition, there are condolences for unfortunate events such as famine, rebellion, and defeat. Bin etiquette: It is mainly the ceremony for the princes to meet the monarch and the princes to visit each other.

Military salute: In addition to ceremonies related to military activities, it also includes ceremonies for large-scale civil engineering such as hunting and building cities. Jiali: the etiquette of festive activities such as marriage, coronation, establishment of the throne, and meeting with guests. These five rituals can basically summarize the etiquette in ancient my country. Etiquette evolves with the times.For example, in ancient times, when performing sacrificial ceremonies, someone had to sit there to accept sacrifices on behalf of the deceased, which was called "corpse".The law of etiquette stipulates that the corpse of the Qing is the corpse of the emperor; the corpse of the doctor is the corpse of the princes; the corpse of the priest is his own grandson.Later generations will replace it with tablets or images.This is the meaning of the word "corpse" in the idiom "corpse position vegetarian meal".

Ancient rituals are very complicated.For example, "Scholar Meeting Ritual" is just a door-to-door visit, but according to the requirements of etiquette, after the guest arrives, the host should first express that he does not dare to do so, ask the guest to go home and wait, and then go to visit the guest himself.The guest should express that he dare not accept the host's request and insist on visiting the host.After pushing back and forth several times in this way, the host can show respect rather than obedience, and then formally receive the guests.When receiving an interview, you have to repeatedly decline the gift, and there is also a set of etiquette for advancing and retreating.Today it seems that we have arrived at the gentleman's country in the novel, which is pedantic and ridiculous.But in the eyes of the ancients, it was sloppy. "Book of Rites · Qu Li 1" says: "A husband who is courteous, humbles himself and respects others." Therefore, one should respect others and humble oneself in every way, so as to be in line with the status of a scholar-bureaucrat.Even today, when elders or celebrities come to visit, we often say politely: "Oh! I should be the one to visit you, but I really dare not be you. Please, please!" The principle of respecting others and humble oneself is the same.

The various etiquette procedures described in "Yili" are very complicated.There are regulations on which side to enter, which side to retreat, which side to stand, which side to sit, and even what to say and how many times to say it.It's just a gesture of courtesy.In addition, it costs money to hold various activities, and it is difficult for ordinary people to follow.Therefore, "Book of Rites · Qu Lishang" says that "propriety is not inferior to ordinary people".Zheng Xuan's commentary is: "Because they are busy with production and can't afford things." It means "because they are busy with production and cannot afford things."Very to the point.

But the saying "be courteous to common people" is not entirely true.Common people have their own rituals.There are also certain etiquettes for common people's weddings and funerals, family meetings, and ancestor worship, but they are relatively simple.Moreover, from the perspective of cultural history, many of the etiquette of the nobility may have developed from the etiquette of the common people.In terms of weddings, in the old days when ordinary people got married, there were also procedures such as proposing marriage, getting married, placing an order, marrying, paying homage, meeting parents-in-law, and worshiping ancestors.The big outline is consistent with "Shihun Li", but it is not so complicated.That's why it is said that "if you lose your etiquette, you should ask others."It means: "If etiquette is lost in the upper class, go to the people to seek it." Therefore, in the study of ancient society, in addition to document records, it is also necessary to study folk customs, where living fossils of ancient etiquette and customs can often be found.