An Essay on the Influence of the Ancient Ritual System on the Social Life of Later Generations in Ch

In ancient Chinese society, Confucian ethics had the greatest influence on later generations, and it has always been the basis for the overall orientation of Chinese culture. This point is also fully reflected in the architecture, which is obviously reflected in the etiquette of the building. China is known as the "State of Etiquette", and in the long feudal society, successive rulers have taken the established etiquette system as the criterion, and of course, architecture is no exception.

The hierarchy is strict and meticulous, so based on the etiquette level, it is not difficult to understand how the Forbidden City is orderly and has a clear layout of priorities.

The patriarchal concept of ritual and religion brought to Chinese society by civilization is an update of the primitive witch religion. It shifted animistic pantheism to a culture of witch history and historians based on ancestor worship, and formed a continuous pattern of social development in Chinese civilization.

China has a long history, with 5,000 years of civilization, and is known as the country of etiquette. Ancient societies and state management methods were neither law-based societies nor human-governed societies as they are usually believed, but ceremonial societies. Ritual law is a concept that combines ritual and law, incorporating the ideas of philosophers, the wisdom of jurists, and the practice of politicians.

The etiquette system is the embodiment of the dream of rule by virtue, which shapes people's behaviors and thoughts through etiquette and etiquette norms; Maintain the absolute authority of the law of etiquette through the punishment of the law.

However, the ultimate purpose of China's ritual system is to maintain a stable social ruling order by stipulating the relationship between people and etiquette, and the ultimate purpose is to maintain the rule of the ruler. Its success was due to the fact that it had acquired a larger territory and population with smaller investments, and had consolidated its rule by establishing the emperor's decision-making authority.

Although China has now entered a society governed by the rule of law, we can still see the impact of etiquette on our lives everywhere. Etiquette has its successes, but it can also have its limitations. Emphasizing etiquette too much will weaken the individual's enthusiasm and initiative.

Only the ritual system, which abandons the traditional concept of hierarchy, can truly play the role of harmonious society and interpersonal relations, and at the same time will not stifle the overall creativity of society.

The five rites are described as follows:

Jili is the ritual of sacrifice. Sacrifice is a major event of the state, so it is listed as the first of the five rites. The object of sacrifice can be the ancestors of God, or the sun, moon and stars, mountains, rivers and forests, wind, rain, thunder and lightning, gods, ghosts and demons, and so on.

Murder rites, generally understood to refer to funerals. In addition, it should also include mourning for natural and man-made disasters such as famine and war.

Military salute refers to warfare and war-related activities, such as proofreading, field hunting, going out to the division, offering victory, offering prisoners, building cities and other activities that require a lot of manpower.

Bingli refers to the courtiers of the princes to the dynasty, the appointment and alliance between the princes, etc.

The content of the gift is more complicated, such as weddings, crown ceremonies, feasts, reserves, celebrations, and social travel. In the early days, there was no clear boundary between etiquette and law and bureaucracy, and many political and legal regulations were found in the content of etiquette. After the Qin and Han dynasties, the boundaries between the bureaucratic system, law, and etiquette gradually became clear, and the rites specifically referred to "rituals", which tended to be consistent with modern concepts.

In a class society, etiquette is part of the superstructure. Etiquette stipulates the distinction between the ruling class and the ruled class in society, and stipulates the dignity and inferiority of all levels in society, so it has a distinct class character. Such as "The Book of Rites: Qu Lishang":

If you can't be courteous, you can't punish a doctor. "The common people were poor, engaged in agricultural labor all day, and could not hold or participate in various ceremonies according to the etiquette system of the time, so the content of the ritual system could not include them. The doctor is a ruler, a nobleman, and if there are special provisions for the treatment of crimes, the criminal law cannot include them.

Therefore, the ancient rites were openly unequal.

Rites had an important role, that is, rites were a powerful tool to safeguard the interests of the social hierarchy and the ruling class at that time. "The Book of Rites: Fang Ji": "The country is no more than a thousand times, the capital is no more than a hundred pheasants, and the family is rich more than a hundred times."

The vassal states of the feudal kingdoms cannot have more than 1,000 times of military strength, the city walls cannot have more than 1 zhang high and 300 zhang long, and the house of the emperor cannot have more than 100 times of financial resources. Many of these regulations are hierarchical embankments for the protection of the interests of the monarch.

In the "Book of Rites, Rites and Fortunes", Confucius's words on etiquette are recorded:

Husband, the first king inherited the way of heaven and governed people's feelings, so those who lost died, and those who gained lived. "Poems" said:

1 5 Rats have bodies, but people are rude. People are rude, and Hu is not going to die? It is the gift of the deceased husband, and it must be based on the sky, and the food (pass.

Effect) on the ground, listed in the ghosts and gods, up to the funeral, sacrifice, shooting, royal, crown, faint, court, hiring, so the saint to show it, so the world.

The state can get it, and it is right.

Only by following etiquette can we govern the world, which reflects the importance of etiquette.

Establish a complex and tight hierarchy, maintain feudal rule, fool the people, stifle the development of innovative thinking, and hinder the progress of the country.

According to the "Three Rites", the content of the ancient ritual system is summarized into five aspects, namely auspicious rites, fierce rites, military rites, guest rites and jia rites.

The auspicious rite is the crown of the five rites, and it is mainly a sacrifice ceremony to the gods, earthly spirits, and human ghosts. The main content is to worship the gods, including the god Haotian. Sacrifice the sun, moon and stars, and sacrifice to the division, the division, and the rain division.

Sacrifice to the earth, sacrifice to the shrine, five emperors, five mountains. Sacrifice mountains, forests, rivers and rivers, sacrifice all kinds of things in all directions, that is, the small gods. Sacrifice people and ghosts, sacrifice to the kings and ancestors, and sacrifice to the kings and ancestors; Spring Temple, Autumn Taste, Enjoy Sacrifice to the Ancestors, Ancestors.

Jiali is a etiquette for harmonizing interpersonal relationships, communication, and connecting feelings. The main contents of the gift include the gift of eating, the gift of marriage and crown, the gift of guest shooting, the gift of the belly and the gift of celebration.

A courtesy is a gift for guests. The military salute is a drill and a salute for conquest. The murderous rite is a gift of compassion and condolences. The content of the murderous rites includes mourning death with funeral rites, mourning murder with desolation rites, mourning disasters with mourning salutes, mourning defeat with mourning rites, and mourning chaos with compassionate rites.

Since then, successive feudal dynasties have formulated rituals and compiled rituals, all of which have been carried out in accordance with the style of the "five rites", which constitute the most important content of China's ancient ritual system.

Ancient etiquette is actually the way of Confucius and Mencius, and the meaning of the present should be from both sides.

Let's start with the positive: Let the people in China now know what etiquette, etiquette, honesty, shame, honor, humiliation, etc., it is these etiquette customs that have guided the Chinese for thousands of years, and it is also these etiquette customs that bind and restrain us, and at the same time point us in the right direction, and many etiquette customs have become indispensable and inseparable in our lives.

Opposite: Many rituals and customs seriously restrict the interpretation, religion and thinking in some places, and many rituals and customs are still debated about whether they are good or bad, and we dare not make arbitrary inferences.

It is the embodiment of our life that distinguishes us from other races, and as long as two people meet each other and hug their fists, we can basically conclude that they are Chinese or have received oriental education, and we can find the feeling of roots when performing common rituals, and we will not forget our roots. Because the current educational deformity will make us lose more of what originally belonged to us, look at Japan and South Korea, they are so westernized and still keep the etiquette that was originally our own.

Forming meaningful common human values that distinguish their own cultures.