What is the origin and allusion of "Li"?

"Li" was originally a kind of ceremonial gesture in religious rituals, and "Shuowen Jiezi" says: "Li, fulfillment is also, so the matter of blessing to the blessing also." It can be seen that "ritual" originally did not have a hierarchical ethical and moral significance, after the emergence of class society, human beings began to have a hierarchical distinction, and religious rituals also appeared as a result of the identity of the limitations and distinctions, so, as a religious ritual ritual "ritual" began to have a social identity differentiation content. The "rites" as rituals of religious ceremonies began to take on the content of social identity differentiation. It was gradually transformed into an identity system in slave and feudal societies.

"Rites" is the canonical system of the Chinese slave society, and the moral code of the slave society and the feudal society. As a canonical system, it is the embodiment of the political system of the slave society, the superstructure that maintains the patriarchal and hierarchical system, and the rituals and ceremonies in human interactions that are compatible with it. As a moral code, it is the guideline for all the behaviors of the slave-owning aristocracy and the feudal landlord class. Before Confucius there were the Xia, Yin and Zhou rituals. The Xia, Yin, and Zhou rituals were followed in the same way, and by the time of the Duke of Zhou, the Zhou rituals had been perfected.

The Duke of Zhou made the rites, and the system of rules and regulations was more complete than that of the previous generation, and developed to the extent of "Yuyu huwen yai" ("Analects of Confucius - eight rows of rows of dancers"), which made Confucius marveled and declared, "I am from the Zhou".

The Nature of Rites The ideal feudal social order advocated by the Confucians was to distinguish between the noble and the lowly, the inferior and the superior, the young and the old, and the close and distant, and to require that people's lifestyles and behaviors be consistent with their identities and their social and political statuses within the family, and that different identities have different norms of behavior, which are known as the rites. Those who discussed rites during the Spring and Autumn, Warring States and Han dynasties unanimously emphasized that the role of rites was to maintain social differences built on hierarchies and kinship relationships, a point that best illustrates the meaning and essence of rites.

Ritual is a code of behavior that is rich in differentiation and varies from person to person, which is why "if there is a difference in status, there is also a difference in the number of rituals" (Zuo Zhuan - Zhuang Gong 18 years). Each person must choose the rites equivalent to his status according to his social and political status, and those who fulfill this condition are rites, otherwise they are not rites.

The Scope of Rites The contents of rites are numerous and wide-ranging, involving all kinds of human behavior and all kinds of state activities.

The Role of Rites Confucianism believes that if everyone abides by a code of conduct that conforms to his or her status and position, then "the rites of the world will be perfected and the division will be fixed", and the state will be in a state where "a ruler is a minister, a father is a father and a son is a son", and where there will be a distinction between the noble and the lowly, the inferior and the superior, the young and the old, and the close and distant, and the social order will be maintained. The social order can then be maintained, and the country can enjoy long-term peace and stability. On the other hand, if one abandons the rites and does not use them, or does not observe the behavioral norms that conform to one's status and position, then, as Zhou Neishihua said: "If the rites do not work, the top and the bottom will be in a state of darkness," and the ideal social and ethical order that Confucianism advocates will be impossible to maintain, and the country will not be able to be ruled.

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