Follow us on Facebook to receive important updates Follow us on Twitter to receive important updates Follow us on sina.com's microblogging site to receive important updates Follow us on Douban to receive important updates
Chinese Text Project
Simplified Chinese version
Show translation:[None] [English]

《礼器 - Li Qi》

English translation: James Legge [?]
Books referencing 《礼器》 Library Resources
[Also known as: "Rites in the formation of character"]

1 礼器:
礼器是故大备。大备,盛德也。礼释回,增美质;措则正,施则行。其在人也,如竹箭之有筠也;如松柏之有心也。二者居天下之大端矣。故贯四时而不改柯易叶。故君子有礼,则外谐而内无怨,故物无不怀仁,鬼神飨德。
Li Qi:
The rules of propriety serve as instruments to form men's characters, and they are therefore prepared on a great scale. Being so, the value of them is very high. They remove from a man all perversity, and increase what is beautiful in his nature. They make him correct, when employed in the ordering of himself; they ensure for him free course, when employed towards others. They are to him what their outer coating is to bamboos, and what its heart is to a pine or cypress. These two are the best of all the productions of the (vegetable) world. They endure through all the four seasons, without altering a branch or changing a leaf. The superior man observes these rules of propriety, so that all in a wider circle are harmonious with him, and those in his narrower circle have no dissatisfactions with him. Men acknowledge and are affected by his goodness, and spirits enjoy his virtue.

2 礼器:
先王之立礼也,有本有文。忠信,礼之本也;义理,礼之文也。无本不立,无文不行。
Li Qi:
The rules as instituted by the ancient kings had their radical element and their outward and elegant form. A true heart and good faith are their radical element. The characteristics of each according to the idea of what is right in it are its outward and elegant form: Without the radical element, they could not have been established; without the elegant form, they could not have been put in practice.

3 礼器:
礼也者,合于天时,设于地财,顺于鬼神,合于人心,理万物者也。是故天时有生也,地理有宜也,人官有能也,物曲有利也。故天不生,地不养,君子不以为礼,鬼神弗飨也。居山以鱼鳖为礼,居泽以鹿豕为礼,君子谓之不知礼。故必举其定国之数,以为礼之大经,礼之大伦。以地广狭,礼之薄厚,与年之上下。是故年虽大杀,众不匡惧。则上之制礼也节矣。
Li Qi:
(The things used in performing) the rites should be suitable to the season, taken from the resources supplied by the ground, in accordance with (the requirements of) the spirits, and agreeable to the minds of men;-according to the characteristics of all things. Thus each season has its productions, each soil its appropriate produce, each sense its peculiar power, and each thing its advantageousness. Therefore what any season does not produce, what any soil does not nourish, will not be used by a superior man in performing his rites, nor be enjoyed by the spirits. If mountaineers were to (seek to) use fish and turtles in their rites, or the dwellers near lakes, deer and pigs, the superior man would say of them that they did not know (the nature of) those usages. Therefore it is necessary to take the established revenues of a state as the great rule for its ceremonial (expenditure). Important for the determination of this is the size of its territory. The amount of the offerings (also) should have regard to the character of the year as good or bad. In this way, though the harvest of a year may be very defective, the masses will not be afraid, and the ceremonies as appointed by the superiors will be economically regulated.

4 礼器:
礼,时为大,顺次之,体次之,宜次之,称次之。尧授舜,舜授禹;汤放桀,武王伐纣,时也。《》云:“匪革其犹,聿追来孝。”天地之祭,宗庙之事,父子之道,君臣之义,伦也。社稷山川之事,鬼神之祭,体也。丧祭之用,宾客之交,义也。羔豚而祭,百官皆足;大牢而祭,不必有馀,此之谓称也。诸侯以龟为宝,以圭为瑞。家不宝龟,不藏圭,不台门,言有称也。
Li Qi:
In (judging of) rites the time should be the great consideration. (Their relation to) natural duties, their material substance, their appropriateness to circumstances, and their proportioning are all secondary. Yao's resignation of the throne to Shun, and Shun's resignation of it to Yu; Tang's dethronement of Jie; and the overthrow of Zhou by Wen and Wu - all these are to be judged of by the time. As the Book of Poetry says, "It was not that he was in haste to gratify his wishes; It was to show the filial duty that had come down to him.'" The sacrifices to heaven and earth; the services of the ancestral temple; the courses for father and son; and the righteousness between ruler and minister - these are to be judged of as natural duties. The services at the altars of the land and grain and of the hills and streams; and the sacrifices to spirits - these are to be judged of by the material substance of the offerings. The use of the funeral rites and sacrifices; and the reciprocities of host and guest - these are to be judged of by their appropriateness to circumstances. Sacrificing with a lamb and a sucking pig, by the multitude of officers, when yet there was enough; and sacrificing with an ox, a ram, and a boar, when yet there was nothing to spare - in these we have an instance of the proportioning. The princes set great store by the tortoise, and consider their jade-tokens as the insignia of their rank, while the (chiefs of) clans have not the tortoises that are so precious, nor the jade-tokens to keep (by themselves), nor the towered gateways - these (also) are instances of the proportioning.

5 礼器:
礼,有以多为贵者:天子七庙,诸侯五,大夫三,士一。天子之豆二十有六,诸公十有六,诸侯十有二,上大夫八,下大夫六。诸侯七介七牢,大夫五介五牢。天子之席五重,诸侯之席三重,大夫再重。天子崩,七月而葬,五重八翣;诸侯五月而葬,三重六翣;大夫三月而葬,再重四翣。此以多为贵也。
Li Qi:
In some ceremonial usages the multitude of things formed the mark of distinction, The son of Heaven had 7 shrines in his ancestral temple; the prince of a state, 5; Great officers, 3; and other officers, 1. The dishes of the son of Heaven on stands were 26; of a duke, 16; of another prince, 12; of a Great officer of the upper class, 8; of one of the lower class, 6, To a prince there were given 7 attendants and 7 oxen; and to a Great officer, 5 of each, The son of Heaven sat on 5 mats placed over one another; a prince, on 3; and a Great officer, on 2. When the son of Heaven died, he was buried after 7 months, in a fivefold coffin, with 8 plumes; a prince was buried after 5 months, in a threefold coffin, with 6 plumes; a Great officer after 3 months, in a twofold coffin, with 4 Plumes. In these cases, the multitude of things was the mark of distinction.

6 礼器:
有以少为贵者:天子无介;祭天特牲;天子适诸侯,诸侯膳以犊;诸侯相朝,灌用郁鬯,无笾豆之荐;大夫聘礼以脯醢;天子一食,诸侯再,大夫、士三,食力无数;大路繁缨一就,次路繁缨七就;圭璋特,琥璜爵;鬼神之祭单席。诸侯视朝,大夫特,士旅之。此以少为贵也。
Li Qi:
In other usages, the paucity of things formed the mark of distinction. To the son of Heaven there were given no attendants, and he sacrificed to Heaven with a single victim; when he visited the princes (on his tours of inspection), he was feasted with a single bullock. When princes went to the courts of one another, fragrant spirits were used in libations, and there were no dishes on stands, either of wood or bamboo. At friendly missions by Great officers, the ceremonial offerings were slices of dried meat and pickles. The son of Heaven declared himself satisfied after 1 dish; a prince, after 2; a Great officer and other officers, after 3; while no limit was set to the eating of people who lived by their labour. (The horses of) the Great carriage had 1 ornamental tassel at their breast-bands; those of the other carriages had 7 (pieces of) jade for rank-tokens; and libation cups were presented singly; as also the tiger-shaped and yellow cups. In sacrificing to spirits a single mat was used; when princes were giving audience to their ministers, they (bowed to) the Great officers one by one, but to all the other officers together. In these cases the fewness of the things formed the mark of distinction.

7 礼器:
有以大为贵者:宫室之量,器皿之度,棺椁之厚,丘封之大。此以大为贵也。
Li Qi:
In others, greatness of size formed the mark. The dimensions of palaces and apartments; the measurements of dishes and (other) articles; the thickness of the inner and outer coffins; the greatness of eminences and mounds - these were cases in which the greatness of size was the mark.

8 礼器:
有以小为贵者:宗庙之祭,贵者献以爵,贱者献以散,尊者举觯,卑者举角;五献之尊,门外缶,门内壶,君尊瓦甒。此以小为贵也。
Li Qi:
In others, smallness of size formed the mark. At the sacrifices of the ancestral temple, the highest in rank presented a cup (of spirits to the representative of the dead), and the low, a san (containing five times as much): (at some other sacrifices), the honourable took a zhi (containing 3 cups), and the low a horn (containing 4). (At the feasts of viscounts and barons), when the vase went round 5 times, outside the door was the earthenware fou (of supply), and inside, the hu; while the ruler's vase was an earthenware wu - these were cases in which the smallness of size was the mark of distinction.

9 礼器:
有以高为贵者:天子之堂九尺,诸侯七尺,大夫五尺,士三尺;天子、诸侯台门。此以高为贵也。
Li Qi:
In others, the height formed the mark of distinction. The hall of the son of Heaven was ascended by 9 steps; that of a prince, by 7; that of a Great officer, by 5; and that of an ordinary officer, by 3. The son of Heaven and the princes had (also) the towered gateway. In these cases height was the mark.

10 礼器:
有以下为贵者:至敬不坛,扫地而祭。天子诸侯之尊废禁,大夫、士棜禁。此以下为贵也。
Li Qi:
In others, the lowness formed the mark. In sacrificing, the highest reverence was not shown on the raised altar, but on the ground beneath, which, had been swept. The vases of the son of Heaven and the princes were set on a tray without feet; those of Great and other officers on one with feet (3 inches high). In these cases the lowness was the mark of distinction.

11 礼器:
礼有以文为贵者:天子龙衮,诸侯黼,大夫黻,士玄衣纁裳;天子之冕,朱绿藻十有二旒,诸侯九,上大夫七,下大夫五,士三。此以文为贵也。
Li Qi:
In others, ornament formed the mark. The son of Heaven wore his upper robe with the dragons figured on it; princes, the lower robe with the axes' embroidered on it; Great officers, their lower robe with the symbol of distinction; and other officers, the dark-coloured upper robe, and the lower one red. The cap of the son of Heaven had 12 pendents of jade beads set on strings hanging-down of red and green silk; that of princes, 9; that of Great officers of the highest grade, 7; and if they were of the lowest grade, 5; and that of other officers, 3 - in these cases the ornament was the mark of distinction.

12 礼器:
有以素为贵者:至敬无文,父党无容,大圭不琢,大羹不和,大路素而越席,牺尊疏布幂,樿杓。此以素为贵也。
Li Qi:
In others, plainness formed the mark. Acts of the greatest reverence admit of no ornament. The relatives of a father do not put themselves into postures (like other visitors). The Grand jade-token has no engraving on it. The Grand soup has no condiments. The Grand carriage is plain, and the mats in it are of rushes. The goblet with the victim-ox carved on it is covered with a plain white cloth. The ladle is made of white-veined wood. These are cases in which plainness is the mark.

13 礼器:
孔子曰:“礼,不可不省也。”礼不同,不丰、不杀,此之谓也。盖言称也。
Li Qi:
Confucius said, 'Ceremonial usages should be most carefully considered.' This is the meaning of the remark that 'while usages are different, the relations between them as many or few should be maintained.' His words had reference to the proportioning of rites.

14 礼器:
礼之以多为贵者,以其外心者也;德发扬,诩万物,大理物博,如此,则得不以多为贵乎?故君子乐其发也。
Li Qi:
That in the (instituting of) rites the multitude of things was considered a mark of distinction, arose from the minds (of the framers) being directed outwards. The energy (of nature) shoots forth and is displayed everywhere in all things, with a great discriminating control over their vast multitude. In such a case, how could they keep from making multitude a mark of distinction in rites? Hence the superior men, (the framers), rejoiced in displaying (their discrimination).

15 礼器:
礼之以少为贵者,以其内心者也。德产之致也精微,观天子之物无可以称其德者,如此则得不以少为贵乎?是故君子慎其独也。
Li Qi:
But that in (the instituting of) rites the paucity of things was (also) considered a mark of distinction, arose from the minds (of the framers) being directed inwards. Extreme as is the energy (of nature) in production, it is exquisite and minute. When we look at all the things under the sky, they do not seem to be in proportion to that energy, In such a case, how could they keep from considering paucity a mark of distinction? Hence the superior men, (the framers), watched carefully over the solitude (of their own thoughts).

16 礼器:
古之圣人,内之为尊,外之为乐,少之为贵,多之为美。是故先生之制礼也,不可多也,不可寡也,唯其称也。是故,君子大牢而祭,谓之礼;匹士大牢而祭,谓之攘。管仲镂簋朱紘,山节藻梲,君子以为滥矣。晏平仲祀其先人,豚肩不揜豆;浣衣濯冠以朝,君子以为隘矣。是故君子之行礼也,不可不慎也;众之纪也,纪散而众乱。孔子曰:“我战则克,祭则受福。”盖得其道矣。
Li Qi:
The ancient sages (thus) gave honour to what was internal, and sought pleasure in what was external; found a mark of distinction in paucity, and one of what was admirable in multitude; and therefore in the ceremonial usages instituted by the ancient kings we should look neither for multitude nor for paucity, but for the due relative proportion. Therefore, when a man of rank uses a large victim in sacrifice, we say he acts according to propriety, but when an ordinary officer does so, we say be commits an act of usurpation. Guan Zhong had his sacrificial dishes of grain carved, and red bands to his cap; fashioned hills on the capitals of his pillars, and pondweed on the small pillars above the beams - the superior man considered it wild extravagance. Yan Ping-zhong, in sacrificing to his father, used a sucking-pig which did not fill the dish, and went to court in an (old) washed robe and cap - the superior man considered it was niggardliness. Therefore the superior man thinks it necessary to use the utmost care in his practice of ceremonies. They are the bond that holds the multitudes together; and if the bond be removed, those multitude's fall into confusion. Confucius said, 'If I fight, I overcome; when I sacrifice, I receive blessing.' He said so, because he had the right way (of doing everything).

17 礼器:
君子曰:祭祀不祈,不麾蚤,不乐葆大,不善嘉事,牲不及肥大,荐不美多品。孔子曰:“臧文仲安知礼!夏父弗綦逆祀,而弗止也。燔柴于奥,夫奥者,老妇之祭也,盛于盆,尊于瓶。”
Li Qi:
A superior man will say, 'The object in sacrifices is not to pray; the time of them should not be hastened on; a great apparatus is not required at them; ornamental matters are not to be approved; the victims need not be fat and large; a profusion of the other offerings is not to be admired.' Confucius said, 'How can it be said that Zang Wen-zhong was acquainted with the rules of propriety? When Xia Fu-Qi went right in the teeth of sacrificial order, he did not stop him, (nor could he prevent) his burning a pile of firewood in sacrificing to the spirit of the furnace. Now that sacrifice is paid to an old wife. The materials for it might be contained in a tub, and the vase is the (common) wine-jar.'

18 礼器:
礼也者,犹体也。体不备,君子谓之不成人。设之不当,犹不备也。礼有大有小,有显有微。大者不可损,小者不可益,显者不可掩,微者不可大也。故《经礼》三百,《曲礼》三千,其致一也。未有入室而不由户者。
Li Qi:
The rules of propriety may be compared to the human body. When the parts of one's body are not complete, the beholder' will call him 'An imperfect man;' and so a rule which has been made unsuitably may be denominated 'incomplete.' Some ceremonies are great, and some small; some are manifest, and some minute. The great should not be diminished, nor the small increased. The manifest should not be hidden, nor the minute made great. But while the important rules are 300, and the smaller rules 3000, the result to which they all lead is one and the same. No one can enter an apartment but by the door.

19 礼器:
君子之于礼也,有所竭情尽慎,致其敬而诚若,有美而文而诚若。君子之于礼也,有直而行也,有曲而杀也,有经而等也,有顺而讨也,有摭而播也,有推而进也,有放而文也,有放而不致也,有顺而摭也。
Li Qi:
A superior man in his observance of the rules, where he does his utmost and uses the greatest care, is extreme in his reverence and the manifestation of sincerity. Where they excite admiration and an elegant attractiveness, there is (still) that manifestation of sincerity. A superior man, in his consideration of the rules, finds those which are carried directly into practice; those in which one has to bend and make some modification; those which are regular and the same for all classes; those which are diminished in a certain order; those in which (a kind of) transplantation takes place, and (the ceremony) is distributed; those in which individuals are pushed forward and take part in the rules of a higher grade; those in which there are ornamental imitations (of natural objects); those in which the ornamental imitations are not carried out so fully; and those where appropriation (of higher observances) is not deemed usurpation.

20 礼器:
三代之礼一也,民共由之。或素或青,夏造殷因。
Li Qi:
The usages of the three dynasties had one and the same object, and the people all observed them. In such matters as colour, whether it should be white or dark, Xia instituted and Yin adopted (its choice, or did not do so).

21 礼器:
周坐尸,诏侑武方;其礼亦然,其道一也;夏立尸而卒祭;殷坐尸。周旅酬六尸,曾子曰:“周礼其犹醵与!”
Li Qi:
Under the Zhou dynasty the representatives of the dead sat. Their monitors and cup-suppliers observed no regular rules, The usages were the same (as those of Yin), and the underlying principle was one. Under the Xia dynasty, the personators had stood till the sacrifice was ended, (whereas) under Yin they sat. Under Zhou, when the cup went round among all, there were six personators'. Zeng-zi said, 'The usages of Zhou might be compared to those of a subscription club.'

22 礼器:
君子曰:礼之近人情者,非其至者也。郊血,大飨腥,三献爓,一献孰。
Li Qi:
A superior man will say, 'The usages of ceremony that come closest to our human feelings are not those of the highest sacrifices; (as may be seen in) the blood of the border sacrifice; the raw flesh in the great offering (to all the royal ancestors) of the ancestral temple; the sodden flesh, where the spirits are presented thrice; and the roast meat, where they are presented once.'

23 礼器:
是故君子之于礼也,非作而致其情也,此有由始也。是故七介以相见也,不然则已悫。三辞三让而至,不然则已蹙。故鲁人将有事于上帝,必先有事于頖宫;晋人将有事于河,必先有事于恶池;齐人将有事于泰山,必先有事于配林。三月系,七日戒,三日宿,慎之至也。故礼有摈诏,乐有相步,温之至也。
Li Qi:
And so those usages were not devised by superior men in order to give expression to their feelings. There was a beginning of them from (the oldest times); as when (two princes) have an interview, there are seven attendants to wait on them and direct them. Without these the interview would be too plain and dull. They reach (the ancestral temple) after the visitor has thrice declined the welcome of the host, and the host has thrice tried to give precedence to the other. Without these courtesies the interview would be too hurried and abrupt. In the same way, when in Lu they were about to perform the service to God (in the suburb), they felt it necessary first to have a service in the college with its semicircular pool. When they were about in Jin to sacrifice to the He, they would first do so to the pool of Wu. When in Qi they were about to sacrifice to mount Tai, they would do so first in the forest of Pei. Moreover, the keeping the victims (for the altar of Heaven) for three months (in the stable); the abstinence (of the worshippers) for seven days; and the vigil of three days:-all showed the extreme degree of (preparatory) care (for the service). The ritual arrangements, further, of the reception (of guests) and communication between them and the host, and for assisting and guiding the steps of the (blind) musicians, showed the extreme degree of kindly (provision).

24 礼器:
礼也者,反本修古,不忘其初者也。故凶事不诏,朝事以乐。醴酒之用,玄酒之尚。割刀之用,鸾刀之贵。莞簟之安,而稿鞂之设。是故,先王之制礼也,必有主也,故可述而多学也。
Li Qi:
In ceremonial usages we should go back to the root of them (in the mind), and maintain the old (arrangements of them), not forgetting what they were at first. Hence there is no (need to be) calling attention to the demonstrations expressive of grief; and those which (more particularly) belong to the court are accompanied by music. There is the use of sweet spirits, and the value set on water; there is the use of the (ordinary) knife, and the honour expressed by that furnished with (small) bells; there is the comfort afforded by the rush and fine bamboo mats, and the (special) employment of those which are made of straw. Therefore the ancient kings in their institution of the rules of propriety had a ruling idea, and thus it is that they were capable of being transmitted, and might be learned, however many they were.

25 礼器:
君子曰:无节于内者,观物弗之察矣。欲察物而不由礼,弗之得矣。故作事不以礼,弗之敬矣。出言不以礼,弗之信矣。故曰:“礼也者,物之致也。”
Li Qi:
The superior man will say, 'If a man do not have in himself the distinctions (embodied in ceremonies), he will contemplate that embodiment without any intelligent discrimination; if he wish to exercise that discrimination, and not follow the guidance of the rules, he will not succeed in his object. Hence if his practice of ceremonies be not according to the rules, men will not respect them; and if his words be not according to those rules, men will not believe them. Accordingly it is said, "The rules of ceremony are the highest expression of (the truth of) things."'

26 礼器:
是故昔先王之制礼也,因其财物而致其义焉尔。故作大事,必顺天时,为朝夕必放于日月,为高必因丘陵,为下必因川泽。是故天时雨泽,君子达亹亹焉。是故昔先王尚有德、尊有道、任有能;举贤而置之,聚众而誓之。
Li Qi:
Hence it was that in old times, when the ancient kings instituted ceremonies, they conveyed their idea by means of the qualities of the articles and observances which they employed. In their great undertakings, they were sure to act in accordance with the seasons; in their doings morning and evening, they imitated the sun and moon; in what required a high situation, they took advantage of mounds and hillocks, and in what required a low situation, of the (banks of the) rivers and lakes. Hence each season has its rains and benefits, and those wise men sought to make use of them with intelligence with all the earnestness they could command. The ancient kings valued (men's) possession of virtue, honoured those who pursued the right course, and employed those who displayed ability. They selected men of talents and virtue, and appointed them. They assembled the whole of them and solemnly addressed them.

27 礼器:
是故因天事天,因地事地,因名山升中于天,因吉土以飨帝于郊。升中于天,而凤凰降、龟龙假;飨帝于郊,而风雨节、寒暑时。是故圣人南面而立,而天下大治。
Li Qi:
Then in accordance with (the height of) heaven they did service to Heaven, in accordance with (the lower position of) earth they did service to Earth; taking advantage of the famous hills they ascended them, and announced to Heaven the good government (of the princes). When thus at the felicitous spot (chosen for their capitals) they presented their offerings to God in the suburb and announced to Heaven (the general good government from the famous hills), the phoenix descended, and tortoises and dragons made their appearance. When they presented their offerings to God in the suburb the winds and rains were duly regulated, and the cold and heat came each in its proper time, so that the sage (king) had only to stand with his face to the south, and order prevailed all under the sky.

28 礼器:
天道至教,圣人至德。庙堂之上,罍尊在阼,牺尊在西。庙堂之下,县鼓在西,应鼓在东。君在阼,夫人在房。大明生于东,月生于西,此阴阳之分、夫妇之位也。君西酌牺象,夫人东酌罍尊。礼交动乎上,乐交应乎下,和之至也。
Li Qi:
The courses of the heavenly (bodies) supply the most perfect lessons, and the sages possessed the highest degree of virtue. Above, in the hall of the ancestral temple, there was the jar, with clouds and hills represented on it on the east, and that with the victim represented on it on the west. Below the hall the larger drums were suspended on the west, and the smaller drums answering to them on the east. The ruler appeared at the (top of the) steps on the east; his wife was in the apartment on the west. The great luminary makes his appearance in the east; the moon makes her appearance in the west. Such are the different ways in which the processes of darkness and light are distributed in nature, and such are the arrangements for the positions (corresponding thereto) of husband and wife. The ruler fills his cup from the jar with an elephant represented on it; his wife fills hers from that with clouds and hills. With such reciprocation do the ceremonies proceed above, while the music responds in the same way below - there is the perfection of harmony.

29 礼器:
礼也者,反其所自生;乐也者,乐其所自成。是故先王之制礼也以节事,修乐以道志。故观其礼乐,而治乱可知也。蘧伯玉曰:“君子之人达,故观其器,而知其工之巧;观其发,而知其人之知。”故曰:“君子慎其所以与人者。”
Li Qi:
It is the object of ceremonies to go back to the circumstances from which they sprang, and of music to express pleasure in the results which first gave occasion to it. Thus it was that the ancient kings, in their institution of ceremonies, sought to express their regulation of circumstances, and, in their cultivation of music, to express the aims they had in mind. Hence by an examination of their ceremonies and music, the conditions of order and disorder in which they originated can be known. Qu Bo-Yu said, 'A wise man, by his intelligence, from the sight of any article, knows the skill of the artificer, and from the contemplation of an action knows the wisdom of its performer.' Hence there is the saying, 'The superior man watches over the manner in which he maintains his intercourse with other men.'

30 礼器:
太庙之内敬矣!君亲牵牲,大夫赞币而从。君亲制祭,夫人荐盎。君亲割牲,夫人荐酒。卿、大夫从君,命妇从夫人。洞洞乎其敬也,属属乎其忠也,勿勿乎其欲其飨之也。纳牲诏于庭,血毛诏于室,羹定诏于堂,三诏皆不同位,盖道求而未之得也。设祭于堂,为祊乎外,故曰:“于彼乎?于此乎?”
Li Qi:
Within the ancestral temple reverence prevailed. The ruler himself led the victim forward, while the Great officers assisted and followed, bearing the offerings of silk. The ruler himself cut out (the liver) for (the preliminary) offering, while his wife bore the dish in which it should be presented. The ruler himself cut up the victim, while his wife presented the spirits. The high ministers and Great officers followed the ruler; their wives followed his wife. How grave and still was their reverence! How were they absorbed in their sincerity! How earnest was their wish that their offerings should be accepted! The arrival of the victim was announced (to the spirits) in the courtyard; on the presentation of the blood and the flesh with the hair on it, announcement was made in the chamber; on the presentation of the soup and boiled meat, in the hall. The announcement was made thrice, each time in a different place; indicating how they were seeking for the spirits, and had not yet found them. When the sacrifice was set forth in the hall, it was repeated next day outside (the gate of the temple); and hence arose the saying, ' Are they there? Are they here?'

31 礼器:
一献质,三献文,五献察,七献神。
Li Qi:
One offering of the cup showed the simplicity of the service; three offerings served to ornament it; five, to mark discriminating care; and seven, to show (the reverence for) the spirits.

32 礼器:
大飨其王事与!三牲鱼腊,四海九州之美味也;笾豆之荐,四时之和气也。内金,示和也。束帛加璧,尊德也。龟为前列,先知也。金次之,见情也。丹漆丝纩竹箭,与众共财也。其馀无常货,各以其国之所有,则致远物也。其出也,肆夏而送之,盖重礼也。
Li Qi:
Was not the great quinquennial sacrifice a service belonging to the king? The three animal victims, the fish, and flesh, were the richest tributes for the palate from all within the four seas and the nine provinces. The fruits and grain presented in the high dishes of wood and bamboo were the product of the harmonious influences of the four seasons, The tribute of metal showed the harmonious submission (of the princes). The rolls of silk with the round pieces of jade placed on them showed the honour they rendered to virtue. The tortoise was placed in front of all the other offerings, because of its knowledge of the future; the tribute of metal succeeded to it, showing the (hold it has on) human feelings. The vermilion, the varnish, the silk, the floss, the large bamboos and the smaller for arrows - the articles which all the states contribute; with the other uncommon articles, which each state contributed according to its resources, even to those from the remote regions - (these followed the former). When the Visitors left they were escorted with the music of the Si Xia. All these things showed how important was the sacrifice.

33 礼器:
祀帝于郊,敬之至也。宗庙之祭,仁之至也。丧礼,忠之至也。备服器,仁之至也。宾客之用币,义之至也。故君子欲观仁义之道,礼其本也。
Li Qi:
In the sacrifice to God in the suburb, we have the utmost expression of reverence. In the sacrifices of the ancestral temple, we have the utmost expression of humanity. In the rites of mourning, we have the utmost expression of leal-heartedness. In the preparation of the robes and vessels for the dead, we have the utmost expression of affection. In the use of gifts and offerings between host and guest, we have the utmost expression of what is right. Therefore when the superior man would see the ways of humanity and righteousness, he finds them rooted in these ceremonial usages.

34 礼器:
君子曰:甘受和,白受采;忠信之人,可以学礼。茍无忠信之人,则礼不虚道。是以得其人之为贵也。
Li Qi:
A superior man has said, 'What is sweet may be tempered; what is white may be coloured. So the man who is right in heart and sincere can learn the (meaning of the) rites.' The rites should not be perfunctorily performed by the man who is not right in heart and sincere. Hence it is all important (in the performance of them) to get the proper men.

35 礼器:
孔子曰:“诵《》三百,不足以一献。一献之礼,不足以大飨。大飨之礼,不足以大旅。大旅具矣,不足以飨帝。”毋轻议礼!
Li Qi:
Confucius said, 'One may repeat the three hundred odes, and not be fit to offer the sacrifice where there is (but) one offering of the cup. He may offer that sacrifice, and not be fit to join in a great sacrifice. He may join in such a sacrifice, and not be fit to offer a great sacrifice to the hills. He may perform that fully, and yet not be able to join in the sacrifice to God, Let no one lightly discuss the subject of rites.'

36 礼器:
子路为季氏宰。季氏祭,逮暗而祭,日不足,继之以烛。虽有强力之容、肃敬之心,皆倦怠矣。有司跛倚以临祭,其为不敬大矣。他日祭,子路与,室事交乎户,堂事交乎阶,质明而始行事,晏朝而退。孔子闻之曰:“谁谓由也而不知礼乎?”
Li Qi:
When Zi-lu was steward to the House of Ji, its chief had been accustomed to commence his sacrifices before it was light, and when the day was insufficient for them, to continue them by torchlight. All engaged in them, however strong they might appear, and however reverent they might be, were worn out and tired. The officers limped and leaned, wherever they could, in performing their parts, and the want of reverence was great. Afterwards, when Zi-lu took the direction of them, the sacrifices proceeded differently. For the services in the chamber, he had parties communicating outside and inside the door; and for those in the hall, he had parties communicating at the steps. As soon as it was light, the services began, and by the time of the evening audience all were ready to retire. When Confucius heard of this management, he said, 'Who will say that this You does not understand ceremonies?'

URN: ctp:liji/li-qi