What are the attributes of "rites" in traditional society?

Ritual is the embodiment of the moral norms of traditional Chinese society, as well as the political system of ancient society, especially feudal society. It is the maintenance of the patriarchal hierarchical system and the rituals and ceremonies of human interaction that go along with it. As a moral code, it is a guideline for all human behavior.

Prior to Confucius, there were Xia, Yin, and Zhou rituals, and according to Confucius' understanding, "Yin is due to the Xia rituals, and the loss and gain can be known; Zhou is due to the Yin rituals, and the loss and gain can be known; and it may be succeeded by the Zhou, even though a hundred generations can be known". Xia, Yin, Zhou, three generations of rituals, due to the evolution of each other, to the age of the Duke of Zhou, Zhou rituals, has been more perfect. Zhuangzi said:

"Three kings and five emperors of the rites and laws, it is like hawthorn pear, orange and grapefruit, although its flavor is opposite, but all can be in the mouth." Therefore, the rituals of the ancient times were not customized, but whether they were in line with the needs of the people was the first thing to be emphasized.

Confucius also said, "Zhou monitor in the second generation, Yuyuwenya, I from Zhou." As a conceptual form of rites, in the thought system of Confucius is inseparable from "benevolence", Confucius said: "People are not benevolent, such as the rites?" He advocated the rule of virtue, which was based on the principle of "virtue in the way of the Dao and ritual in the way of the Rites", breaking the restriction that "the Rites were not inferior to those of the common people". In the Warring States period, with the formation of the feudal system, the rites of the slave society were gradually abolished. Mencius regarded benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom as the basic moral norms, and propriety as the "heart of resignation", which became one of the human virtues. Xunzi paid more attention to "rites" than Mencius did, and he wrote his "Treatise on Rites", in which he argued about the origin and social role of "rites". He said, "The rites of ...... are equal for the noble and the lowly, for the young and the old, for the rich and the poor, and for the light and the heavy, and all of them have their own weights and measures." He believed that the rites make everyone in society in the noble and lowly, young and old, rich and poor feudal hierarchy have the appropriate position. In the Book of Rites, it is said, "Rites are used to determine affinity, to decide on suspicion, to differentiate between the same and different, and to make clear what is right and what is wrong." In the long-term historical development, the rituals, as the moral norms and life guidelines of the Chinese feudal society, have played an important role in the cultivation of the spiritual quality of the Chinese nation; at the same time, with the changes and development of the society, especially in the later period of the feudal society, it has become more and more a rope binding people's thoughts and behaviors, which affects the progress and development of the social history.

Confucianism believes that if everyone abides by the behavioral norms that conform to their status and position, then "the rites are up to the mark", and the situation of "the ruler, the minister, the father, the father, and the son", as Confucius puts it, can be maintained, and the country can be governed for a long period of time. Then the ideal social order of differentiation between noble and lowly, superior and inferior, eldest and youngest, and affinity will be maintained, and the country will be able to enjoy long-term peace and stability. On the contrary, if one abandons the rites and does not use them, or if one does not abide by the norms of behavior that conform to one's status and position, then, as the Zhou Neishihua said, "If the rites do not work, the top and the bottom of the hierarchy will be in a daze", and the ideal social and ethical order that Confucianism advocates will not be able to be maintained, and the country will not be able to be ruled. Therefore, Confucianism attaches great importance to the role of rites in the governance of the country and puts forward the slogan of the rule of rites. Confucius said: "An on the rule of the people, no good in the rites", "the book of rites" cloud: "the rites of the king's big handle also ...... so the rule of the king also", visible rites is the feudal ruling class to maintain their rule of the important tool. "Ritual is the first thing to do in governance, and it is the foundation of governance!" Confucianism believes that the implementation of rituals is the essence of governance. Shifu Yun said, "Ritual is the basis of governance"; Confucius said, "A state is governed by rituals"; Yan Ying said, "Rituals can be used for a state for a long time"; and Zuo Zhuan quoted the gentleman as saying: "ritual by the state, set the gods of earth and grain"; female shuqi cloud: "ritual so guard its country, the implementation of its government, no loss of its people also"; xunzi cloud: "the life of the country in the ritual". From these words can be fully seen in the close relationship between rites and politics, the rule of the country is dependent on the rise and fall of the rites. So Xunzi said: "Rites of the rule of the discernment of the pole is also, strong country of this also, the way of prestige also, the total of fame also, the king by the reason why the world also, not so meteoric rise also"; "the book of rites" cloud: the rule of the country with the rites of the "officer to get the body, the government to get the implementation of its", the rule of the country without the rites of the "officer lost its body If the state is ruled without rites, "the official loses his body, and the government loses its implementation", and the conclusion is: "The rise of rites is the rule of the people; the abolition of rites is the chaos of the people". Obviously, the ideal feudal society in the mind of Confucianism cannot be established and maintained by giving up the rites and the rule of rites.

Confucianism advocates the rule of etiquette, the differentiated behavioral norms of etiquette as a tool to maintain social and political order, and Legalism advocates the rule of law, to the same behavioral norms of law as a tool to maintain social and political order, was originally opposed. In the pre-Qin era of the hundred schools of thought, Confucianism, the two schools of law, each insisting on their own ideas, attacking each other's doctrines, and not give way to each other. The laws of Qin and Han were formulated by the Legalists. Shang Yang's Qin law originated from the Wei Li Yul's "Law Scriptures", and Xiao He's Han law was inherited from the Qin system, which was the orthodoxy of the legalist lineage and fully represented the spirit of legalism, which was unacceptable to Confucianism. Han Wu Di boasted Confucianism, Legalism gradually lost its power, after the rise of Confucianism, began to change the face of the law with Confucianism. Han Confucian efforts in this regard, mainly in the writing of legal chapters and sentences to explain the law and to the scriptures to decide the prison on two things. According to "Jin Shu - Criminal Law", Shusun Xuan, Guo Lingqing, Ma Rong, Zheng Xuan Confucian chapters and sentences of more than ten, home hundreds of thousands of words, to determine the crime of when by the use of a total of 26,272 articles, more than 7,732,200 words. The decision of the prison with the scriptures and righteousness of the child Kuan, Dong Zhongshu, Ying Shao and others, the Confucian classics as a standard for sentencing, indicating that Confucianism played a practical role in the justice, which is of great significance. Since the Wei Dynasty, Confucians have been involved in the formulation of laws, and they have had a greater opportunity to incorporate the rituals that embody the central ideas of Confucianism into legal provisions, resulting in significant and far-reaching changes in the law. Shang Yang's rule that a person with two or more males, regardless of their differences, should be given twice as much in taxes, which was contrary to the ritual of "no private property in the presence of one's parents", was abhorred by Confucian figures such as Jia Yi. Wei time in addition to the different son of the section, so that the father and son without different wealth. Zhouli" has eight discussion, Wei began to eight discussion into the law. Since Wei, Jin, Song, Qi, Liang, Chen, Northern Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou until Sui, Tang, Song, Ming, are contained in the law, to the Qing Dynasty is no longer cited. The Book of Rites - The King's System: "Whenever a lawsuit of five penalties is heard, it must be based on the kinship of father and son, and the righteousness of the ruler and his ministers must be established to authorize it." Confucianism has always advocated pro-family, and emphasized the differences between superiority and inferiority, between the eldest and the youngest, and between the close and the distant. Jin law "completed the defense of rituals, five services to system of crime", the opening of future generations of crime according to the service of the precedent. Northern Wei set the crime of keeping grandparents, parents of the article. In order to reflect the spirit of the criminal is not a doctor, and the provisions of the official title as a punishment. Keeping the law for successive generations to comply with, the official when also for the Sui, Tang, Song followed. Zhouli" unfiliality is one of the eight punishments in the countryside. The Book of Filial Piety says: "The five punishments belong to three thousand, but the greatest offense is unfiliality." Beiqi listed unfiliality as one of the ten felonies, offenders are not in the eight discussion of the limit of redemption. Sui adopted, and set ten evil articles, from Tang to Qing are used. Northern Zhou completely imitated the "Zhouli", the law of the whole ritualized. But because of the "Zhou Li" is not realistic, can not adapt to the environment, so Sui inherited the law of the Northern Qi, Wei, Jin criminal code, but not the system of the Northern Zhou. Looking through the revised Tang law because of Sui law, can be seen more completely about the content of the rites. In addition to the eight proposals, when the official, ten evils, unfiliality, to stay and raise, according to the service of the formulation of the crime and other articles, there are many provisions are derived from the rites of passage. Rites, the son when filial piety parents, so the children and grandchildren violated the order, the lack of support has become a special article, in two years; grandparents, parents in the children and grandchildren in the different places of different property in three years; parents old and sick without service, commissioned by the relatives of the official in one year, and exempted from the residence of the official. In the rituals, the parents' mourning was three years, so it was a crime to hide and not raise the mourning, to release the mourning to obey the auspiciousness, to risk the mourning to ask for a job, to give birth to a child in mourning, to marry, and to have a brother who was not in the same place with different wealth. The Da Dai Li has seven out, three do not go (see the feudal marriage system) of the text, so it became the legal conditions of divorce, should go should stay are based on the rituals. Confucianism advocates that the father is hidden for the son, and the son is hidden for the father, so the law permits concealment, and does not require the children and grandchildren to testify, not to mention not being allowed to sue the grandparents and parents, and those who do so will be hanged. Xunzi Yun: "Rites of passage are nurturing," and "The Records of Rites" Yun: "Rites of passage fulfill the hearts of the people". The fulfillment of desires and the enjoyment of material things were differentiated between the noble and the lowly and regulated in detail in the Book of Rites. Tang law then provides for the creation of houses, cars and clothing, utensils and graves and stone beasts belonging to the order of those who violate the staff one hundred, and ordered to correct. All the above provisions are sufficient to illustrate the importance of ritual in law. Therefore, the "four library encyclopedia summary" cloud: "Tang law a standard in the ritual." Rites into the process of law is also the process of Confucianization of law. Beginning in Wei, Jin, through the North and South Dynasties to the Sui and Tang and set its masterpiece. The Song criminal system" followed the Tang law, Ming and Qing law was also y influenced by the Tang law, in addition to the official when the provisions of the above rituals are largely retained in the code, only the punishment is different.

Taking the rites into the law is a major event in the history of China's legal development, the law has undergone significant and far-reaching changes, the rites have become an important part of the law, the formation of the law for the rites of the dominant situation. The so-called "Ming Penalization and Piloting" of the ancients, in essence, is to use the power of the law to maintain the rites and to strengthen the legitimacy and mandatory nature of the rites. What is regarded as right by the rites is regarded as legal by the law; what is not permitted by the rites is also prohibited by the law and contained in the system. True, as the Eastern Han Dynasty court captain Chen favor dredge in the cloud: "the rites of the go, the penalty of the take, the loss of the rites into the penalty, and each other for the table also"; Ming Qiu Joon, "University of Diffractive Supplement" cloud: "the hearts of the people in violation of the rites of righteousness, and then into the criminal law". The relationship between ritual and law is extremely close, which is the main feature of Chinese feudal law and the basic spirit.

"Rites" was originally a ritual of religious ceremonies, "Shuowen Jiezi" said: "Rites, fulfillment is also, so that the 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.

Since there is a human society, the rites of passage have arisen, it is the real life of the edge of the decorative, with the outside of the things to decorate the internal feelings, which mainly includes three parts, one, the gift, that is, to perform the rites of passage used in the palace, clothing, utensils and other material things. Second, etiquette. It is the ceremonial action of using gifts. Third, the meaning of the rite. It is the actual, clear content, purpose or aim expressed by the gifts and rituals. This requires that the gift and etiquette must be appropriate, in the gradual refinement of the practice of ritual song proved to be no more than, just right.

The meaning of "ritual" in terms of a social identity system had already existed in the Yin and Shang dynasties at the latest; however, as a stricter social system, it was in the early years of the Zhou Dynasty. In the early years of the Zhou Dynasty, King Wu of Zhou conquered Yin, and in order to consolidate his rule, the Duke of Zhou re-established the rites and music on the basis of the Yin rites, and institutionalized and systematized the rites as a sense of social identity.

The "rites" of feudal rites have the attributes of both political hierarchy and ethical morality. As a hierarchical system, it emphasizes on the "position of fame". That is, what Confucius called "the ruler, the minister, the father, the son."

The specific contents of "rites" as ethics and morals include filial piety, compassion, respect, obedience, honor, harmony, benevolence, righteousness and so on.

Among the attributes of the two aspects of "rites", hierarchy is the essence of "rites". The attributes of ethics and morality are the external manifestation of the hierarchy. Feudal etiquette is actually to instill filial piety, compassion, respect, obedience, respect, harmony, benevolence, righteousness, etc., and turn these external ethical and moral concepts into people's internal needs, to bind people's minds, limit people's behavior, and turn people into loyal servants of the ruling ladder, in order to achieve the purpose of maintaining the feudal hierarchy. Because of this, successive rulers of Chinese feudal society have taken feudal rites and rituals as an unquestionable way to maintain their rule.

Since the Republic of China, China's etiquette system has been becoming simpler and more humanized, absorbing some models from the West that can be drawn upon. "Etiquette", which is just a code of ethics and behavior that people must abide by in their daily lives, has been detached from its original nature of serving the strict hierarchy of the feudal period, and is instead a code of ethics that maintains a good social climate. However, this does not mean that we can no longer be bound by the "rites", or even regard Confucianism and other cultures as old-fashioned and Western civilization as perfect. In fact, what we despise is only the dregs of the "rites", and we still have to inherit and carry forward the noble things in Confucian culture, which have taken up a considerable portion of the culture; on the other hand, Western civilization is not necessarily as humane as what we have seen and heard. As China develops step by step, the incomparable charm of "etiquette" will once again shine, so that the Chinese nation, in the eyes of the world, will be a civilized and open-minded nation, and China, of course, will be a civilized and open-minded country. It can be said that China's image will be more bright and fresh because of "etiquette".