Book Of Rites Research Articles

N/nature as an impetus for the creation of a sonic experience for babies

This article explores the creation of a sonic experience for babies driven by conceptual notions of Nature at large, as well as the natural dispositions of babies. Using the researcher’s background as an experimental musician on the guzheng, parallels are drawn between contemporary music practices (e.g. John Cage; R. Murray Schafer; Toru Takemitsu) that explore Nature as theme, as well as Chinese perspectives (e.g. Book of Rites, Record of Music; Zhuangzi of Nature). Both speak to the diminution of the dualism of self and other such that one’s experiences could be viewed as interconnected within self and the environment, achieving attunement with Nature to be in a state of spontaneity. Babies seem to exist in such a state of attunement with Nature, where the self is in harmony with the other. Such existence allows one to be in a state of constant receiving and responding to sounds through multiple modalities of the body. According to Colwyn Trevarthen’s theory of innate intersubjectivity, this is fundamental to babies’ intersubjective communication, where babies innately seek attunement. Through the observations of four sonic experience sessions created for babies, the conceptual notions of Nature and its application onto the sessions are presented. These were evident through the artistic choices made in the structure, set and props, music explorations and babies’ engagement. Due to the nature of babies where they exist in spontaneity with the environment, it was noted that despite an experience designed especially for sonic functions, babies’ perceptions were multimodal in nature. The experience of sound was not purely auditory. Babies’ innate need to seek attunement, such as companionship through an imitative other was also significant to the experience. This has implications on the affordances of experiences in infant care environments in childcare settings.

A study on the relationship between the content and form of “Dao(道)” through analysis of rhetorical expressions of “obedience(仁)” and “righteousness(義)” - Focusing on The Analects of Confucius and Book of Rites -

공자에 의하면 ‘도’에는 내용과 형식이 존재하는데, 어짊(仁)과 의로움(義)은 ‘도’의 내용이 되고, 예(禮)는 ‘도’의 형식이 된다. 특히 ‘도’는 반드시 강함과 부드러움 어느 한 쪽으로 치우치지 않고 균형을 갖춰야 하므로, 어짊(仁)은 부드러움을 그리고 의로움(義)은 강함의 성격을 지닌다. 다시 말해서 지도자가 부드러움의 어짊(仁)만 강조하면 백성들이 편하게 다가서지만 공경하지는 않는 반면, 지도자가 강함의 의로움(義)만 강조하면 백성들이 어려워하여 공경하지만 편하게 다가서지는 않는다. 즉 강함과 부드러움을 조화롭게 하는 것이 참된 리더십이라는 것이다. 따라서 ‘도’의 형식 역시 강함의 예(禮)와 부드러움의 음악(樂)이 공존해야 한다. 물론 ‘도’의 구성요소에는 이 네 가지만 있는 것이 아니다. 하늘 태양 달 구름 바람 비 나무 흙 바다 강 풀 등 자연(自然)과 사람 동물 식물 등의 생명체가 따로 놀지 않고 유기적으로 조화를 이룬 것이 지구이듯이, ‘도’ 역시 변치 않음(常) 덕(德) 중(中) 조화로움(和) 어짊(仁) 의로움(義) 예(禮) 음악(樂) 자애로움(慈) 검소함(儉) 겸손함(謙) 지혜로움(知) 신뢰(信) 올곧음(直) 용감함(勇) 강직함(剛) 등 다양한 구성요소들이 존재한다. 이처럼 다양한 요소들이 분리되지 않고 하나가 되어 상호작용 하는 것이 바로 ‘도’이다. 따라서 공자는 ‘도’의 구성요소들은 따로 행해서는 안 되고, 반드시 조화를 이뤄야 한다고 부단히 강조하고 있다.

Coping with the Loss of a Child: Evidence from Tang Funerary Writing

AbstractBased on a close reading of 118 Tang epitaphs for those who died young, this paper explores how Tang parents remembered and recounted their children's lives as well as factors that contributed to the rise of intense expression of mourning. It finds that while descriptions in epitaphs for adults largely followed Confucian ideals of life course and gender roles, the epitaphs for the young are much less formulaic, allowing space and latitude for parents and families to impart anecdotes and emotions. More importantly, it argues that the rise of epitaphs for children (especially for daughters in the ninth century) reflected a strong influence of Buddhist perception of death and Buddhist mourning rituals. As a result, Tang parents ignored the restrictions and decorum stipulated in The Book of Rites and mourned their children with outward grief, regardless their age and gender.

The Study on “Modern and Contemporary National Geography View” from the “National Geography View” in the Pre-Qin Period of China from the Perspective of Geography

Combing the “Historical Records”, “Local Records” and “Travel Notes” in the pre-Qin period in ancient China, and combining with the previous research results, the concept of ethnic geography in the pre-Qin period mainly expresses the orientation correspondence between the ethnic groups in the Central Plains and the surrounding ethnic groups, and views the surrounding ethnic groups with the Central Plains and China as the main body, and compares the “other culture” with the “standard culture”. The most representative view of ethnic geography in pre-Qin period is the Five-Party Pattern Theory in Book of Rites and Imperial System. This paper emphasizes that under the restriction of geographical environment, ethnic geography has changed in living, clothing, food, utensils, etc. These changes have changed the character and culture of the nation (ethnic group). Inspired by the Five-Party Pattern Theory in The Book of Rites, Imperial System, the modern and contemporary national geographical view is to understand the national culture from the cultural holders themselves, and it is an explanation of the integrity, humanity and differentiation of the geographical environment. Reflect the national geographical view, that is, the information carrier, through the aspects of food, clothing, housing and transportation. According to the cognitive level, there are three forms of ethnic geography: religious ethnic geography, theoretical ethnic geography and empirical ethnic geography. From the perspective of geography, ethnic geography also has temporal and regional characteristics.

Virtues and the Book of Rites

Abstract This paper explores the meaning of Confucian de 德 (often translated as virtue) in the Book of Rites 《禮記》. Using intertextual discussions with texts supplemented by the Analects《論語》, the Mengzi 《孟子》, and the Xunzi《荀子》, I argue that ritual (li 禮) and virtue are closely interrelated. Without ritual, virtue is raw. Without virtue, ritual is barren. De’s interrelationship with ritual is central to Confucian ethics. Ritual is constitutive for all Confucian virtues. This central thesis coupled with subsequent features such as de’s aesthetic dimension and thick interpersonal relationships demonstrate that the Confucian de has multilayered meanings that cannot be fully captured by either the contemporary concept of virtue or the Aristotelian idea of arête.

Collective remembering of Confucianism in Chinese language textbooks

This study focuses on the collective remembering of an ancient system of meaning, examining content and changes in the construction of Confucianism in Chinese textbooks. The data consists of 84 editions of Chinese language teaching textbooks published by the People’s Education Press from 1949 to 2019. Content analysis shows that Confucianism is and was barely represented in this corpus. Thematic analysis shows that: (i) Only Confucius and Mencius were recognized as Confucian masters. (ii) Representations of Confucianism in the textbooks come from The Analects, Mencius, The Book of Rites, and The Book of Poetry, all of which are more than 2000 years old. (iii) Except for the 1970s, Confucianism was represented in a positive or at least neutral way. (iv) Confucianism is represented in a distant, abstract, decontextualized, and apolitical way, disconnected from students’ daily life. This gives insight into how a core representation stripped of its peripheral elements can lose meaning, and lose its normative influence on behavior. Contributions to collective memory, and implications for how to edit Chinese language textbooks to be more engaging are discussed.

Exploring the term “harmony” and its practical significance in Confucian classics with examples drawn from the Liji

AbstractThe Chinese character, he (和), “harmony,” occurs more than 100 times in the Liji (禮記; the Book of Rites). This accounts for over one‐third of the term's total number of occurrences in the 13 pre‐Qin Confucian classics. In this study, we engage with existing scholarship on the concept of “harmony” in Chinese culture and contribute to the discussion by analyzing the variety of senses that “harmony” has in the pre‐Qin Confucian classics, especially the Liji. We find that usages of the term “he” (“harmony”) in the Liji fall into six categories, namely, self, external things, music, human relations, politics, and the universe. We hold that the ways in which harmony features in the Liji and other Confucian classics can help us understand the Chinese cultural presupposition that there exists “only one world,” meaning that this world encompasses both the natural and the supernatural, and that human beings are a holistic blend of body and heart‐mind, which does not give rise to any dualistic tension between body and mind. Based on our understanding of the unique Chinese worldview and the corresponding view on life, this study aims to give an account for the importance of harmony as a guideline within various areas of Chinese life.

Quelques notes médico-psycho-légales sur le Li Ki

The author recalls that the Li Ki or Book of rites is one of the great classical treatises of ancient China. He cites the main forensic areas in the book.

Reflexiones éticas desde el confucionismo: la mujer

El artículo resume la posición o rol de la mujer en el confucionismo clásico. Parte de los textos clásicos del conficionismo, buscando elementos entresacados de los textos que den pistas de la concepción y trato de la mujer. El confucionismo como filosofía práctica se convierte en una doctrina ética fundada fuertemente en la virtud, con miras a mejorar al hombre individual y a la sociedad en su conjunto. La virtud es el eje de las acciones del individuo y del Estado. En el Libro de los Ritos se describen detalles del rol de la mujer en la sociedad, el cual prácticamente se reduce a su papel de esposa y madre. La subordinación de la mujer hacia el hombre en su toma de decisiones queda claramente establecido en los textos. En conclusión, en el confucionismo la relación de parentesco es la que logra el género de la mujer. Aunque, al igual que para el catolicismo, ambos sexos son complementarios.

The formation of the legal system for modern planning in China before 1950: comparison with Japan’s 1919 act

ABSTRACTTraditionally, city construction in China was to follow an order guided by the Book of Rites, and city management has no independent law but relies on the traditional Lu Li legal system. Overall, their modern transition started after the Opium War, beginning with the foreign settlements and concessions, and spurred on by the Late Qing Reform for constitutionalism and a modern state legal system. From then to the 1930s, the whole nation experienced frequent wars and overlapping political powers. Local urban planning exploration was active and diverse, but the overall development path was complex. In this context, two urban planning laws were born in late 1930s. Given this complex development background, further review of knowledge dissemination and interaction is needed to clarify the formation history and concurrently analyze its meaning. Japan, which not only shared a similar modernization experience but was also one of the important sources of introduction for modern knowledge, was selected as an object of comparison. By comparing the terms used, the specific content, and development path of the respective countries’ laws, this article aims to reveal and outline the overall characteristics of how the legal system for modern planning formed in China.

春秋聘礼微探——以《左传》、《仪礼•聘礼》及《礼记•聘义》为核心

春秋聘礼微探——以《左传》、《仪礼•聘礼》及《礼记•聘义》为核心

A Reconsideration of Koryŏ Meat-eating Culture

This paper aims to reconsider Koryŏ meat-eating culture. In the field of Korean culinary culture studies, scholars argue that Koryŏ meat-eating culture was underdeveloped or restricted due to Buddhism on three basic grounds: 1) prohibitions of hunting, fishing, butchery, and meat eating; 2) references to the aversion to killing and poor skill at butchery in the Gaoli tujing; and 3) the supposed resurrection of meat-eating culture under Yuan rule. First, Koryŏ records reveal that a minority of Koryŏ prohibitions were rooted in Buddhist thought, while the majority were rooted in rituals and principles of Confucian governance from the Book of Rites and “Monthly Ordinances.” Second, the aversion to killing and poor skill at butchery described in the Gaoli tujing reflect a compromise between the desires for meat and to avoid the responsibility of taking a life. Finally, the Koryŏ ruling class ate both livestock and game and the common people made a living through hunting and fishing and paid taxes through deer and fish prior to Yuan rule. In Koryŏ society, despite Buddhist faiths, hunting, butchery, and meat eating were universally practiced and accepted. It thus appears that Koryŏ society did not internalize and socially stratify the Buddhist prohibition of meat eating to the degree apparent in Indian and Japanese societies.

《礼记》中的丧礼与孝道思想探赜

《礼记》中的丧礼与孝道思想探赜

Overseas Communication of English Translation of <i>The Book of Rites</i> from the Perspective of Translation-communication Model

Chinese culture has gone through many stages of overseas communication before the contemporary call for its going-out. <i>The Book of Rites</i>, as an indispensable part of Chinese culture, has also experienced ups and downs in the circulation. A comprehensive diachronic collation of the communication history of <i>The Book of Rites</i> is helpful for acquiring effective lessons and inspirations from the ups or efficient communication, on which there has not enough systematic research. Therefore, this thesis wants to initiate the specialized research of <i>The Book of Rites</i> on its communication by answering the following questions from the translation-communication angle: What is the historical process of English translation of <i>The Book of Rites</i>? What were communication realities of English versions of <i>The Book of Rites</i> in different historical periods? The answers are: the overseas communication of English versions of <i>The Book of Rites</i> has gone through 3 stages from initial introduction stage from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20^th century, to the gold development of brief translation in the 20^th century, and to the cold reception of reprinting of excerption and retranslation in the 21^st century. The change from the efficient communication to cold reception urges us to reverse the trend, which has got some resolution possibilities from Lasswell’s communication model that the overseas translators and sinologists should join hands with Chinese native scholars to trans-feel the original idea for overseas readers, and take overseas platforms to achieve the maximum conductance or equivalence to realize efficient communication.

Considerações acerca de representações de práticas corporais nas obras confucianas Registro dos ritos e Discursos

Among the writings that constitute the body of knowledge produced by the Confucianism, one can mention the “Book of Rites” (Liji) and “Discourses” (Zhonglun). In this study, we aim to investigate how these books portray physical culture manifestations and what such type of activities could represent to the formative process of an individual, accordingly with the confucian approach, in the context in which these works were first written. We have considered as relevant issues for this discussion the information regarding the practice of archery included in the Book of Rites, as well as the concept of the “Six Arts”, included in the Discourses.

古代中国語における呼称の社会的変異 : 『礼記』言語規範の研究( 言語の対人関係機能と敬語)

古代中国語における呼称の社会的変異 : 『礼記』言語規範の研究( 言語の対人関係機能と敬語)

The Ancient Chinese Views of Family Education Recorded in Pre-Qin (before 221 BC) Confucian Classics

&lt;p&gt;The Pre-Qin family education is a long neglected but important research topic in understanding Chinese education and culture. Although Chinese traditional family education is mostly under the influence of Confucianism there is not sufficient discussion in the Pre-Qin period as there are only scattered records related to this topic in various Pre-Qin classics. In addition, most research outputs in the field are on “jiaxun” (family instruction) which normally refers to family seniors’ commandments to their juniors from a cultural perspective. However, “jiating jiaoyu” (family education) can be defined as a mutual learning process in which individuals are socialized in family settings from perspectives of education and sociology. Based on this definition, the paper aims at exploring the special roles and contributions of the early Pre-Qin Confucian classics to the development of family education in China in terms of principle, aim, pedagogy, and role expectation of family member. The result shows that the Yijing (Book of Changes) brings out the views of strict family management style, supreme status of the father and role differentiation in the Pre-Qin period. The Lunyu (Analects) emphasizes the value of learning the shi (Book of Songs) and the li (Book of Rites) while the book Mengzi proposes a couple of innovative views on the parent-child relationship, role models, mutual education, environmental influence, and moral and role expectations in family education. The practicability of impartiality in family education and effectiveness of direct instruction in education are areas that need special attention from researchers and education policy makers.&lt;/p&gt;

Apel on Locke on our duty to future generations

Why do we, today’s people, owe a duty to future generations with whom we will not overlap? In my paper, I aim at answering this question step by step. The first step is to respond to the question (“Why-Question 1” or “WQ1”) why human beings should continue to exist. I try this by critically considering Karl-Otto Apel’s argument for the survival of human beings from the viewpoint of his own discourse ethics. This consideration, however, leads us to the second step where we are faced with the following question (“WQ2”): For what reason do we – this particular generation and no other – owe a duty to future people? In order to answer this, I will interpret John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government and Book of Rites, a Chinese classic of Confucianism. From this interpretation, I would like to conclude that we are responsible for future people as far as we are responsible to past generations who delegated such future-oriented responsibility to us.

『禮記』를 통해본 孝연구

This study was to establish a desirable filial piety culture in the modern times by examining what is written about the filial piety of respect and self-establishment, and after parents death in the Book of Rites. Korean traditional education derived from the filial piety. The filial piety starting from the relationship between parents and children makes a foundation of all morals and a starting point of personality education as a basic human behaviour. This will create a basis of family ethics, grow into community ethics, and cultivate humanity. Firstly, the filial piety of respect starts from lowering yourself in front of parents and respecting them. Secondly, the filial piety of self-establishment suggests that an upright attitude of mind and conduct is essential and central to every matter. Lastly, through the filial piety after parents death which includes ancestral rituals and funeral rites, a sincere filial affection and a respectful attitude of mind can be bred up. The meanings of contemporary filial piety are as follows. Firstly, filial piety originates from love and gratitude. Secondly, a respect of personality should underlie it. Thirdly, an idea of equality should be emphasized. Fourthly, filial piety corrects the establishment of human values. The first thing required for an upright establishment of filial piety culture is that a filial piety education should begin in a family. A need to strengthen a family bond is raised due to the marginalized humanity and the changed family forms and functions caused by materialism of a modern society. The next thing is a call for a balanced change in the filial piety culture. The change and application needs to be made appropriate to the current society which highlights autonomy. Thirdly, communal spirits should be promoted because it will help overcome the challenges of modern civilization and present a correct direction for the future. In conclusion, a filial piety culture which continues Korean tradition is an excellent culture based on gratitude and appreciation, service and devotion, and respect and consideration. The contemporary filial piety culture should be reasonable, voluntary and self-motivated. Furthermore, an in-depth academic introspection needs to be accomplished in order to combine a filial piety culture to the future society.

Schreib-Riten (shorei 書礼): Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der japanischen Briefetikette by Markus Rüttermann (review)

Reviewed by: Schreib-Riten (shorei 書礼): Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der japanischen Briefetikette by Markus Rüttermann W. J. Boot Schreib-Riten (shorei 書礼): Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der japanischen Briefetikette. By Markus Rüttermann. 3 volumes. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2011. 1693 pages. Hardcover €198.00/SFr335.00. In the days before we liked each other on Facebook, tweeted, whatsapped, texted, and still wrote the occasional e-mail, we wrote letters. For composing letters there existed rules regarding forms of address and choice of words, as well as a number of formulas for saving face, saving time, and economizing on thinking. The Far East was no exception. The title and subtitle of the volumes under review promise a description of Japanese epistolary etiquette. In order to address this seemingly harmless topic, author Markus Rüttermann needed three volumes and a total of 1693 pages, although João Rodriguez (1561?–1633?) and Jeroen Lamers have shown that it can be done in only 103.1 There is a good reason, however, for this vast difference in size: Schreib-Riten was Rüttermann’s Habilitationsschrift (defended in 2002 at the Humboldt University in Berlin)—the second dissertation that German scholars must produce in order to qualify for academic appointment. And a Habilitationsschrift, it is generally understood, must be both thick and exhaustive. Schreib-Riten is arranged in four parts, whose titles can be translated as follows: (1) Fundamentals of Epistolary Communication and Aspects of Intertextuality, (2) Ritual and Situational Encoding of Epistolary Communication, (3) Aspects of Textual Encoding of Epistolary Communication, and (4) Aspects of Graphic, Material, and Nonverbal Encoding of Epistolary Communication. These are followed by a number of appendices, including extensive translations from the sources; a bibliography; and—thankfully, in a book of this size—an index. Unlike Rodriguez and Lamers, Rüttermann set out to describe all aspects of all Japanese letter writing through the ages. Since fellow specialists in the area of epistolary [End Page 113] studies are few, the great majority of readers will never read the entire book, but will select only those sections that are of interest to them in view of their specialization. Literary specialists may be interested in the way letters were folded, sealed, and delivered (for which, see pages 1133–1287), and art historians, in the chapter on epistolary motifs in the fine arts (pages 1288–1304) or in the rules regarding the use of square, running, and cursive hands (pages 1035–1132). Sinologists should be interested in the rites regarding oral communication as described in the Liji (the Book of Rites) and the relationship Rüttermann establishes between those rites and the rules of epistolary etiquette later formulated on that basis, or in Chinese prescriptions regarding letter writing, or in Chinese collections of exemplary letters (topics covered in various parts of the work, including on pages 17–48, 163–85, 270–78, 347–51, and 413–56). Linguists, who as a rule evince little interest in the epistolary language of sōrōbun, will find whatever they need to begin the exploration of this much-neglected subject. Rüttermann’s book is of greatest importance—both as a reference work and, potentially, as a textbook—for students of Japanese history. Letters are one of the historian’s most valuable sources, and though they are routinely treated in books about historical documents (monjo), for historians this book would be a useful reference work and textbook. You have to know German, of course, but if you do, you have access to an overview of all modern Japanese research on every aspect of public and private letter writing in Japan from the Nara period till the end of the twentieth century, and to a selection of letters from each period, in the original Chinese or Japanese, presented with a transcription into Latin script, an analysis, and a translation. Rüttermann distinguishes five periods: the Very Early Middle Ages (Nara), the Early Middle Ages (Heian), the High and Late Middle Ages (chūsei), the New Age (Neuzeit; kinsei), and the Modern Age (kindai and gendai). In part 3, which I consider the core of the work, the distribution of pages over these five periods gives an indication of their...