Royal Regulations

故祭帝於郊，所以定天位也；祀社於國，所以列地利也；祖廟，所以本仁也；山川，所以儐鬼神也；五祀，所以本事也。故宗祝在廟，三公在朝，三老在學，王前巫而後史，卜巫瞽侑，皆在左右。王中，心無為也，以守至正。

So they sacrificed to God in the suburbs in order to fix the place of Heaven; at the altar of the soil in the state they set out the benefits of Earth; the ancestral temple was used to root in benevolence; mountains and rivers were used to receive the spirits; the five domestic sacrifices were used to root in affairs. So the clan invocators were in the temple, the three dukes in the court, the three elders in the school, before the king were shamans and behind him scribes, and diviners, shamans, blind musicians and attendants were all at his left and right. The king stood in the middle, his mind not acting on its own, in order to hold fast to the utmost correctness.

故禮行於郊，而百神受職焉；禮行於社，而百貨可極焉；禮行於祖廟，而孝慈服焉；禮行於五祀，而正法則焉。故自郊社、祖廟、山川、五祀，義之修而禮之藏也。

So when ritual is practiced at the suburban altar, the hundred spirits accept their duties; when ritual is practiced at the altar of the soil, the hundred goods can be fully brought forth; when ritual is practiced at the ancestral temple, filial piety and kindness are carried out; when ritual is practiced in the five domestic sacrifices, standards are set right. So from the suburban altar, the altar of the soil, the ancestral temple, the mountains and rivers and the five domestic sacrifices, righteousness is cultivated here and ritual is stored here.

是故夫禮，必本於大一，分而為天地，轉而為陰陽，變而為四時，列而為鬼神，其降曰命，其官於天也。

So ritual must be rooted in the Great One, divides to become Heaven and Earth, turns to become yin and yang, changes to become the four seasons, and is set out as the spirits; what it sends down is called the decree, and it takes its model from Heaven.

夫禮必本於天，動而之地，列而之事，變而從時，協於分藝。其居人也曰養，其行之以貨力、辭讓、飲食、冠昏、喪祭、射御、朝聘。

Ritual must be rooted in Heaven, moves to Earth, is set out in affairs, changes to follow the seasons, and fits the proper limits. In human beings it is called nurture, and it is carried out through goods and labor, courtesy and yielding, food and drink, capping and marriage, mourning and sacrifice, archery and charioteering, court visits and diplomatic missions.

故禮義也者，人之大端也，所以講信修睦，而固人之肌膚之會、筋骸之朿也。所以養生、送死、事鬼神之大端也，所以達天道，順人情之大竇也。

So ritual and righteousness are the great beginnings of a person, used to value trust and cultivate harmony, and to secure the meeting of skin and flesh and the binding of sinews and bones. They are the great beginnings of nurturing the living, seeing off the dead, and serving the spirits, and the great thoroughfare for reaching the Way of Heaven and following human feelings.

故唯聖人為知禮之不可以已也。故壞國、喪家、亡人，必先去其禮。故禮之於人也，猶酒之有櫱也，君子以厚，小人以薄。

So only the sage knows that ritual cannot be halted. So when states are ruined, families lost and people destroyed, ritual has always been discarded first. So ritual is to a person as yeast is to wine: the noble man becomes rich through it and the petty man becomes poor.

故聖王修義之柄、禮之序以治人情。故人情者，聖王之田也。修禮以耕之，陳義以種之，講學以耨之，本仁以聚之，播樂以安之。故禮也者，義之實也，協諸義而協，則禮雖先王未之有，可以義起也。義者，藝之分、仁之節也。協於藝，講於仁，得之者強。仁者義之本也，順之體也，得之者尊。故治國不以禮，猶無耜而耕也；為禮不本於義，猶耕而弗種也；為義而不講之以學，猶種而弗耨也；講之於學而不合之以仁，猶耨而弗獲也；合之以仁而不安之以樂，猶獲而弗食也；安之以樂而不達於順，猶食而弗肥也。四體既正，膚革充盈，人之肥也。父子篤，兄弟睦，夫婦和，家之肥也。大臣法，小臣廉，官職相序，君臣相正，國之肥也。天子以德為車，以樂為御，諸侯以禮相與，大夫以法相序，士以信相考，百姓以睦相守，天下之肥也。是謂大順。大順者，所以養生、送死、事鬼神之常也。故事大積焉而不苑，並行而不繆，細行而不失，深而通，茂而有間，連而不相及也，動而不相害也。此順之至也。故明於順，然後能守危也。

So the sage kings cultivated the handle of righteousness and the order of ritual to govern human feelings. So human feelings are the field of the sage kings. They plow it with ritual, sow it with righteousness, weed it with instruction, gather in the crop with benevolence, and bring it to rest with music. So ritual is the fruit of righteousness; when it accords with righteousness it is harmonious, and so ritual, even if the former kings did not have it, can be raised up according to righteousness. Righteousness is the proper measure of ability and the gauge of benevolence. One who fits ability and seeks benevolence is strong. Benevolence is the root of righteousness and the body of compliance, and one who gains it is honored. So to govern a state without ritual is like plowing without a plow; to practice ritual without rooting it in righteousness is like plowing without sowing; to practice righteousness without discussing it through study is like sowing without weeding; to discuss in study without joining it with benevolence is like weeding without harvesting; to join with benevolence without settling it with music is like harvesting without eating; to settle with music without reaching to compliance is like eating without growing fat. When the four limbs are correct and the skin is full, this is a person's fatness. When father and son are deeply bound, brothers are harmonious and husband and wife are in accord, this is a family's fatness. When great ministers keep the law, lesser ministers are honest, offices are in order and ruler and minister correct each other, this is a state's fatness. When the Son of Heaven takes virtue as his carriage and music as his driver, the feudal lords interact through ritual, the grandees order each other by law, the scholars test each other by trust, and the common people keep each other through harmony, this is the world's fatness. This is called the Great Compliance. The Great Compliance is the constant standard for nurturing the living, seeing off the dead and serving the spirits. So affairs may pile up in great quantity without blockage, run side by side without error, proceed in minute details without loss, be deep yet connected, be dense yet have gaps, be linked yet not encroach, and move yet not harm one another. This is the utmost of compliance. So when one understands compliance, one can hold fast in danger.

故禮之不同也，不豐也，不殺也，所以持情而合危也。故聖王所以順，山者不使居川，不使渚者居中原，而弗敝也。用水、火、金、木，飲食必時，合男女、頒爵位必當年德，用民必順，故無水旱昆蟲之災，民無兇飢妖孽之疾。故天不愛其道，地不愛其寶，人不愛其情。天降膏露，地出醴泉，山出器車，河出馬圖，鳳皇麒麟，皆在郊棷。龜龍在宮沼，其餘鳥獸之卵胎，皆可俯而窺也。則是無故，先王能修禮以達義，體信以達順，故此順之實也。

So ritual differs in forms, without increase and without reduction, in order to support feelings and meet danger. So what the sage kings used to bring about compliance: those who live in mountains were not made to live by rivers, those on islets were not made to live on the plains, and so they were not worn out. In using water, fire, metal, wood, food and drink they always kept to the proper time; in matching men and women and conferring rank they always fitted age and virtue; in using the people they always followed what suited them. So there were no disasters of flood, drought or insects, and the people had no sickness of famine or ill omens. So Heaven did not withhold its Way, Earth did not withhold its treasures, and people did not withhold their feelings. Heaven sent down sweet dew, Earth brought forth sweet springs, the mountains yielded vessels and carriages, the Yellow River brought forth the dragon-horse diagram, and the phoenix and qilin were all in the suburban meadows and marshes. Tortoises and dragons were in the palace pools, and the eggs and young of other birds and beasts could be looked at by stooping. There was no other reason: the former kings could cultivate ritual to reach righteousness and embody trust to reach compliance, so this is the fruit of compliance.

禮器是故大備，大備，盛德也。禮釋回，增美質，措則正，施則行。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，故貫四時而不改柯易葉。故君子有禮，則外諧而內無怨。故物無不懷仁，鬼神饗德。

With this, the vessels of ritual are fully complete. Being fully complete is great virtue. Ritual removes deviation and adds to the substance of beauty; when applied it is correct, and when carried out it works. In a person it is like the green skin of a bamboo and like the heart of a pine or cypress. These two stand at the great beginnings of the world, and so they run through the four seasons without changing branch or leaf. So when the noble man has ritual, he is harmonious outwardly and without resentment within. So there is nothing that does not turn toward benevolence, and the spirits partake of his virtue.

先王之立禮也，有本有文。忠信．禮之本也；義理，禮之文也。無本不立，無文不行。

When the former kings established ritual, it had a root and had a form. Loyalty and trustworthiness are the root of ritual; righteousness and principle are the form of ritual. Without the root it cannot stand; without the form it cannot be carried out.

禮也者，合於天時，設於地財，順於鬼神，合於人心，理萬物者也。是故天時有生也，地理有宜也，人官有能也，物曲有利也。故天不生，地不養，君子不以為禮，鬼神弗饗也。居山以魚鱉為禮，居澤以鹿豕為禮，君子謂之不知禮。故必舉其定國之數，以為禮之大經、禮之大倫。以地廣狹，禮之薄厚，與年之上下。是故年雖大殺，眾不匡懼，則上之制禮也節矣。

Ritual is that which accords with the seasons of Heaven, is arranged through the resources of Earth, follows the spirits, fits human hearts, and governs the myriad things. So Heaven has what it brings forth in its seasons, Earth has what suits its ground, human faculties have what they can do, and things in their details have what is advantageous. So what Heaven does not produce and Earth does not nurture, the noble man does not make part of ritual, and the spirits do not partake of it. To live in the mountains and make fish and turtles part of ritual, or to live by the marsh and make deer and pigs part of ritual, the noble man says that such a person does not know ritual. So one must lift up the measure that stabilizes the state and make it the great norm and great order of ritual. It is according to the breadth of the land, the richness of ritual, and the good or bad of the harvest. So even if the harvest greatly declines, if the people are not afraid, then the one above who set the ritual has set it with proper measure.

禮，時為大，順次之，體次之，宜次之，稱次之。堯授舜，舜授禹，湯放桀，武王伐紂，時也。詩云：“匪革其猶，聿追來孝。”

In ritual, timeliness is the greatest, then compliance, then appropriateness, then fitness, then proportion. Yao passed the throne to Shun, Shun passed it to Yu, Tang banished Jie, and King Wu attacked Zhou: these were matters of timeliness. The Book of Songs, in the Greater Odes, in Wen Wang You Sheng, says: "It was not to hurry his own plans, but to remember and so fulfill filial piety."

天地之祭，宗廟之事，父子之道，君臣之義，倫也。

The sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, the affairs of the ancestral temple, the Way of father and son, and the righteousness of ruler and minister are the relationships.

社稷山川之事，鬼神之祭，體也。

The affairs of the altars of soil and grain, mountains and rivers, and the sacrifices to the spirits are the substance.

喪祭之用，賓客之交，義也。

The expenses of mourning and sacrifice, and the exchanges with guests, are righteousness.

羔豚而祭，百官皆足，大牢而祭，不必有餘，此之謂稱也。諸侯以龜為寶，以圭為瑞。家不寶龜，不藏圭，不臺門，言有稱也。

When sacrificing with a lamb or a piglet, all the officials are sufficiently provided for; when sacrificing with a grand sacrifice of ox, sheep and pig, there may not necessarily be any surplus. This is called proportion. Feudal lords treat the tortoise as a treasure and the jade tablet as a token. A family does not treat the tortoise as a treasure, does not store jade tablets, and does not build a gate tower; this speaks of proportion.

禮有以多為貴者。天子七廟，諸侯五，大夫三，士一。天子之豆二十有六，諸公十有六，諸侯十有二，上大夫八，下大夫六。諸侯七介七牢，大夫五介五牢。天子之席五重，諸侯之席三重，大夫再重。天子崩，七月而葬，五重八翣；諸侯五月而葬，三重六翣；大夫三月而葬，再重四翣。此以多為貴也。

In ritual, some things are valued for being many. The Son of Heaven has seven ancestral temples, the feudal lords five, the grand masters three, and the officers one. The Son of Heaven has twenty-six dou vessels, the dukes sixteen, the feudal lords twelve, the senior grand masters eight, and the junior grand masters six. A feudal lord receiving guests uses seven assistants and seven sets of sacrificial animals; a grand master uses five assistants and five sets. The Son of Heaven's mats are five layers, a feudal lord's three, a grand master's two. When the Son of Heaven dies, he is buried after seven months, with five layers of coffin decoration and eight coffin fans; a feudal lord is buried after five months with three layers and six fans; a grand master after three months with two layers and four fans. These are cases of being valued for being many.

有以少為貴者。天子無介，祭天特牲。天子適諸侯，諸侯膳以犢。諸侯相朝，灌用鬱鬯，無籩豆之薦。大夫聘禮以脯醢。天子一食，諸侯再，大夫士三。食力無數，大路繁纓一就，次路繁纓七就。圭璋特，琥璜爵，鬼神之祭單席。諸侯視朝，大夫持，士旅之。此以少為貴也。

Some things are valued for being few. The Son of Heaven has no assistants, and sacrifices to Heaven with a single animal. When the Son of Heaven visits a feudal lord, the lord provides a calf for the meal. When feudal lords have audience with one another, the libation uses fragrant wine with no offering of bian and dou vessels. A grand master's visit uses only dried meat and pickled meat. The Son of Heaven is full after one serving, a feudal lord after two, a grand master or officer after three, and those who live by their labor have no set number. The great chariot has one circle of ornamental trappings, the next chariot seven. Gui and zhang jade tablets are displayed singly, hu and huang jades accompany the goblet, and offerings to ghosts and spirits use a single mat. A feudal lord holds court viewing, grand masters hold the tablet, and officers perform the rites in groups. These are cases of being valued for being few.

有以大為貴者。宮室之量，器皿之度，棺槨之厚，丘封之大。此以大為貴也。

Some things are valued for being large. The size of palaces, the standards of vessels, the thickness of coffins and outer coffins, the size of the burial mound: these are valued for being large.

有以小為貴者。宗廟之祭，貴者獻以爵，賤者獻以散。尊者舉觶，卑者舉角。五獻之尊，門外缶，門內壺，君尊瓦甒。此以小為貴也。

Some things are valued for being small. In ancestral temple sacrifices, the honored offer with a jue cup and the humble offer with a san cup. The senior raises a zhi and the junior a jiao. At the five-offering ceremony the wine vessel outside the gate is a fou jar, inside the gate a hu pot, and the ruler's own vessel is an earthenware bottle. These are valued for being small.

有以高為貴者。天子之堂九尺，諸侯七尺，大夫五尺，士三尺。天子諸侯臺門。此以高為貴也。

Some things are valued for being high. The Son of Heaven's hall is nine chi high, a feudal lord's seven, a grand master's five, an officer's three. The Son of Heaven and feudal lords have terraced gates. These are valued for being high.

有以下為貴者。至敬不壇，埽地而祭。天子諸侯之尊廢禁，大夫士棜禁。此以下為貴也。

Some things are valued for being low. The highest reverence builds no altar and sacrifices on swept ground. The wine vessels of the Son of Heaven and feudal lords do without a stand, while grand masters and officers use a legless stand. These are valued for being low.

禮有以文為貴者。天子龍袞，諸侯黼，大夫黻，士玄衣纁裳。天子之冕，朱綠藻，十有二旒，諸侯九，上大夫七，下大夫五，士三。此以文為貴也。

In ritual, some things are valued for ornament. The Son of Heaven wears the dragon robe, the feudal lords the axe pattern, the grand masters the pattern of two opposed bows, and the officers a black robe with a pale crimson skirt. The Son of Heaven's ceremonial cap has red and green pendants of twelve strings, the feudal lords nine, senior grand masters seven, junior grand masters five, and officers three. These are valued for ornament.

有以素為貴者。至敬無文，父黨無容，大圭不琢，大羹不和，大路素而越席，犧尊疏布鼏，樿杓。此以素為貴也。

Some things are valued for plainness. The utmost reverence has no ornament; among the father's kin one needs no display of bearing; the great jade tablet is not carved, the great soup is not seasoned, the great chariot is plain and laid with a rush mat, the ox-shaped wine vessel is covered with coarse cloth, and the ladle is of white wood. These are valued for plainness.

孔子曰：“禮不可不省也。禮不同，不豐，不殺。”此之謂也，蓋言稱也。

Confucius said: "Ritual must not go unexamined. When rituals differ, one does not add more or cut less." This is what it means, and it speaks of fitness.

禮之以多為貴者，以其外心者也。德發揚，詡萬物，大理物博，如此則得不以多為貴乎？故君子樂其發也。禮之以少為貴者，以其內心者也。德產之致也精微，觀天下之物，無可以稱其德者，如此則得不以少為貴乎？是故君子慎其獨也。

Ritual is valued for being many because it directs the mind outward. Virtue spreads and reaches the myriad things; its great governing makes things abundant and wide. Given this, how could it not value being many? So the gentleman delights in its manifestation. Ritual is valued for being few because it directs the mind inward. When virtue has been brought to the utmost subtlety, and one surveys the things of the world and finds none that match his virtue, how could it not value being few? So the gentleman is watchful over himself when alone.

古之聖人，內之為尊，外之為樂，少之為貴，多之為美。是故先王之制禮也，不可多也，不可寡也，唯其稱也。

The sages of old made the inner the honored part and the outer the music, made the few precious and the many beautiful. So the former kings, in establishing ritual, did not allow it to be more or less than fitting, and sought only what is proportionate.

是故君子大牢而祭，謂之禮。匹士大牢而祭，謂之攘。管仲鏤簋，朱紘，山節，藻梲，君子以為濫矣。晏平仲祀其先人，豚肩不揜豆，澣衣濯冠以朝，君子以為隘矣。

So when a gentleman sacrifices with the grand set of three animals, it is called ritual; when an ordinary man sacrifices with the grand set, it is called usurpation. Guan Zhong had carved gui vessels, red cap-strings, hill-shaped capitals and algae painted on the rafters, and the gentleman judged it excessive. Yan Pingzhong, sacrificing to his ancestors, used a pig's shoulder too small to cover the dou, and came to court in washed clothes and cap, and the gentleman judged it miserly.

是故君子之行禮也，不可不慎也，眾之紀也，紀散而眾亂。孔子曰：“我戰則克，祭則受福。”蓋得其道矣。

So the gentleman must be careful in carrying out ritual, since it is the guiding thread of the people. When the thread comes loose, the people fall into disorder. Confucius said: "When I fight, I win; when I sacrifice, I receive blessing." Probably he had found that Way.

君子曰：“祭祀不祈，不麾蚤，不樂葆大，不善嘉事，牲不及肥大，薦不美多品。”

The gentleman said: "In sacrifice one does not pray for favors, does not hurry, does not like what is tall and grand, does not make a point of lavishing the good occasion, does not wait for the animal to grow fat and large, and does not seek many kinds of offerings."

孔子曰：“臧文仲安知禮？夏父弗綦，逆祀而弗止也，燔柴於奧。”夫奧者，老婦之祭也，盛於盆，尊於瓶。

Confucius said: "How could Zang Wenzhong know ritual? Xiafu Fuji reversed the order of sacrifices and he did not stop him, and he burned firewood at the stove." The stove, though, is an old woman's sacrifice, with food in a basin and wine in a bottle.

禮也者，猶體也，體不備，君子謂之不成人。設之不當，猶不備也。禮有大、有小、有顯、有微，大者不可損，小者不可益，顯者不可揜，微者不可大也。故經禮三百，曲禮三千，其致一也。未有入室而不由戶者。君子之於禮也，有所竭情盡慎，致其敬而誠若，有美而文而誠若。君子之於禮也，有直而行也，有曲而殺也，有經而等也，有順而討也，有摲而播也，有推而進也，有放而文也，有放而不致也，有順而摭也。

Ritual is like the body. If the body is incomplete, the gentleman says the man is not a whole person. If things are set out improperly, it is as if incomplete. Ritual has the large and the small, the conspicuous and the subtle. The large cannot be reduced, the small cannot be increased, the conspicuous cannot be concealed, and the subtle cannot be enlarged. So the three hundred major rites and the three thousand minor rites all go to one destination: no one enters a room without passing through the door. In ritual, the gentleman sometimes exhausts feeling and the utmost carefulness, delivers his reverence and truly is as he appears; sometimes it is fine and ornamented and truly is so. In ritual the gentleman sometimes acts directly and carries it out; sometimes it is bent and abridged; sometimes it is constant and equal; sometimes it follows and decreases step by step; sometimes it is reduced and spread out; sometimes it is pushed and raised in grade; sometimes it imitates and is ornamented; sometimes it imitates but not to the utmost; sometimes it follows and picks up.

三代之禮一也，民共由之，或素或青，夏造殷因。

The rituals of the Three Dynasties are one, and the people all follow them. Some are plain and some are blue-green. The Xia began them and the Shang followed.

周坐屍，詔侑武力，其禮亦然，其道一也。夏立屍而卒祭，殷坐屍，周旅酬六屍。曾子曰：“周禮其猶醵與？”

The Zhou had the personator of the dead sit, and announced and urged him on with the strength of martial matters; its ritual is thus, and its Way is one. The Xia had the personator stand and ended the sacrifice, the Shang had him sit, and the Zhou had the toasts passed around to six personators. Master Zeng said: "The Zhou ritual is probably like pooling money to drink wine."

君子曰：“禮之近人情者，非其至者也。”郊血，大饗腥，三獻爓，一獻孰。是故君子之於禮也，非作而致其情也，此有由始也。是故七介以相見也，不然則已愨。三辭三讓而至，不然則已蹙。故魯人將有事於上帝，必先有事於頖宮。晉人將有事於河，必先有事於惡池。齊人將有事於泰山，必先有事於配林。三月系，七日戒，三日宿，慎之至也。

The gentleman said: "Ritual that is close to human feeling is not the highest." At the suburban sacrifice blood is used, at the great banquet raw meat, at the three-offering rite half-cooked, at the one-offering rite fully cooked. So in ritual the gentleman does not make things up to express his feeling; there are reasons and beginnings. So meeting with seven assistants, which if not so would be too plain; arriving after declining three times and yielding three times, which if not so would be too hasty. So when the people of Lu were about to perform service to the Lord on High, they must first perform it at the Pan Palace. When the people of Jin were about to perform service to the River, they must first perform it at the Wu Pond. When the people of Qi were about to perform service to Mount Tai, they must first perform it at Peilin. Tying and feeding the animal for three months, fasting seven days, and lodging three days: this is the utmost carefulness.

故禮有擯詔，樂有相步，溫之至也。

So in ritual there are ushers to guide and announce, and in music there are people to support and lead, the utmost of warmth and generosity.

禮也者，反本修古，不忘其初者也。故凶事不詔，朝事以樂。醴酒之用，玄酒之尚，割刀之用，鸞刀之貴，莞簟之安，而槁鞂之設。是故先王之制禮也，必有主也，故可述而多學也。

Ritual is returning to the root, cultivating the ancient, and not forgetting what was at the beginning. So at inauspicious events there is no announcing, and at court affairs music is used. The use of sweet wine, the honor given to dark wine (water); the use of the carving knife, the value of the bell-knife; the comfort of rush and bamboo mats, yet a coarse straw pad is laid under. So when the former kings established ritual, there was always something it was based on, and so it can be described and studied widely.

君子曰：“無節於內者，觀物弗之察矣。欲察物而不由禮，弗之得矣。”故作事不以禮，弗之敬矣！出言不以禮，弗之信矣！故曰：禮也者，物之致也。

The gentleman said: "If there is no restraint within, then in examining things one cannot discern them clearly. If one wishes to discern things but does not do so through ritual, one cannot attain it." So if one does things without ritual, one cannot be reverent! If one speaks without ritual, one cannot be trusted! Hence it is said: ritual is the utmost of things.

是故昔先王之制禮也，因其財物而致其義焉爾。故作大事必順天時，為朝夕放於日月，為高必因丘陵，為下必因川澤。是故天時雨澤，君子達亹亹焉。

So in the past when the former kings established ritual, they relied on wealth and goods and merely conveyed their meaning through them. So for great undertakings they necessarily followed the seasons of Heaven, for morning and evening practices they took the sun and moon as their model, for what is high they necessarily relied on hills, and for what is low they necessarily relied on rivers and marshes. So the gentleman, understanding the seasons of Heaven, rain and marsh, was diligent and untiring.

是故昔先王尚有德，尊有道，任有能，舉賢而置之，聚眾而誓之。是故因天事天，因地事地，因名山升中於天，因吉土以饗帝於郊。升中於天而鳳凰降，龜龍假，饗帝於郊而風雨節，寒暑時。是故聖人南面而立，而天下大治。

So in the past the former kings honored the virtuous, respected those with the Way, employed the able, promoted the worthy and settled them in place, and gathered the multitude to swear. So they served Heaven on the basis of Heaven, served Earth on the basis of Earth, reported their success to Heaven on a famous mountain, and feasted the Lord in the suburbs on auspicious ground. When success was reported to Heaven, phoenixes descended and tortoises and dragons arrived; when the Lord was feasted in the suburbs, wind and rain were moderate and cold and heat came in season. So the sage stood facing south and the world was well governed.

天道至教，聖人至德。廟堂之上，罍尊在阼，犧尊在西；廟堂之下，縣鼓在西，應鼓在東，君在阼，夫人在房。大明生於東，月生於西，此陰陽之分，夫婦之位也。

The Way of Heaven is the utmost teaching, and the sage is the utmost virtue. In the ancestral hall above, the lei vessel is at the eastern steps and the ox vessel to the west; below the hall, the hanging drum is at the west and the responding drum at the east. The ruler stands at the eastern steps and his consort is in the side chamber. The sun is born in the east and the moon in the west; this is the distinction of yin and yang and the positions of husband and wife.

君西酌犧象，夫人東酌罍尊，禮交動乎上，樂交應乎下，和之至也。

The ruler pours from the ox and elephant vessels in the west, and his consort pours from the lei vessel in the east. Above, ritual proceeds in alternation; below, music answers in alternation, the utmost of harmony.

禮也者，反其所自生。樂也者，樂其所自成。是故先王之制禮也以節事，修樂以道志。故觀其禮樂而治亂可知也。

Ritual is a return to what things arise from. Music is delight in what has been accomplished. So the former kings established ritual to regulate affairs and cultivated music to guide the will. So by observing their ritual and music, one can know whether the state is well governed or in disorder.

蘧伯玉曰：“君子之人達。”故觀其器而知其工之巧，觀其發而知其人之知。故曰：君子慎其所以與人者。

Qu Boyu said: "A gentleman is a person who penetrates things." So by observing a person's vessel one knows the cleverness of the craftsman, and by observing a person's expression one knows his wisdom. Hence it is said: the gentleman is careful about how he deals with others.

太廟之內敬矣。君親牽牲，大夫贊幣而從，君親制祭，夫人薦盎，君親割牲，夫人薦酒，卿大夫從君，命婦從夫人，洞洞乎其敬也，屬屬乎其忠也，勿勿乎其欲其饗之也。納牲詔於庭，血毛詔於室，羹定詔於堂，三詔皆不同位，蓋道求而未之得也。設祭於堂，為祊乎外。故曰：於彼乎！於此乎！

Within the Grand Temple all is reverence. The ruler personally leads the animal, and the grand masters assist with the silk and follow. The ruler personally prepares the offering, and his consort presents the ang wine. The ruler personally carves the animal and the consort offers the wine. The high ministers and grand masters follow the ruler and the ladies of rank follow the consort; their sincere manner is so reverent, their single-minded manner so loyal, their earnest manner so eager that the spirits may partake. Bringing in the animal is announced in the courtyard, the blood and hair are announced in the chamber, and the stew when set is announced in the hall. The three announcements are all in different positions, which seems to say they seek and have not yet found. The offering is set in the hall and the sacrifice made outside the temple gate. So it is said: Is it over there? Is it here?

一獻質，三獻文，五獻察，七獻神。

A one-offering rite is plain, a three-offering rite has ornament, a five-offering rite is discerning, and a seven-offering rite reaches the spirits.

大饗其王事與？三牲魚臘，四海九州之美味也；籩豆之薦，四時之和氣也；內金，示和也；束帛加璧，尊德也；龜為前列，先知也；金次之，見情也；丹、漆、絲、纊、竹、箭，與眾共財也。其餘無常貨，各以其國之所有，則致遠物也。其出也，肆夏而送之，蓋重禮也。

The great banquet is probably a matter for the king. The three kinds of animals, fish and dried meat are the delicacies of the four seas and nine provinces; the bian and dou offerings are the harmonious qi of the four seasons; putting metal inside shows harmony; bundled silk topped with jade shows respect for virtue; the tortoise placed first shows foreknowledge; metal second shows feeling displayed; vermilion, lacquer, silk, floss, bamboo and arrows show sharing wealth with the multitude. The rest has no constant goods, each using what its own state has, which is how things from distant places are brought in. When the guest goes out, the Sixia is played to see him off, probably to honor ritual.

祀帝於郊，敬之至也。宗廟之祭，仁之至也。喪禮，忠之至也。備服器，仁之至也。賓客之用幣，義之至也。故君子欲觀仁義之道，禮其本也。

Sacrificing to the Lord in the suburbs is the utmost of reverence. Sacrifice in the ancestral temple is the utmost of humaneness. Mourning ritual is the utmost of loyalty. Preparing clothing and vessels is the utmost of humaneness. Using gifts for guests is the utmost of rightness. So if the gentleman wishes to observe the Way of humaneness and rightness, ritual is its root.

君子曰：“甘受和，白受採，忠信之人可以學禮。苟無忠信之人，則禮不虛道。是以得其人之為貴也。”

The gentleman said: "Sweet takes on seasoning, white takes on color, and a person of loyalty and good faith can learn ritual. If there is no person of loyalty and good faith, ritual will not be carried out in a vacuum. So it is precious to get such a person."

孔子曰：“誦詩三百，不足以一獻。一獻之禮，不足以大饗。大饗之禮，不足以大旅。大旅具矣，不足以饗帝。毋輕議禮。”

Confucius said: "Reciting the three hundred poems is not enough to carry out a one-offering rite. The one-offering rite is not enough to carry out the great banquet. The great banquet is not enough to carry out the great sacrifice to the multitude. When the great sacrifice is complete, it is still not enough to feast the Lord. Do not discuss ritual lightly."

子路為季氏宰，季氏祭，逮闇而祭，日不足，繼之以燭，雖有強力之容、肅敬之心，皆倦怠矣！有司跛倚以臨祭，其為不敬大矣！他日祭，子路與，室事交乎戶，堂事交乎階，質明而始行事，晏朝而退。孔子聞之，曰：“誰謂由也而不知禮乎？”

Zilu was steward of the Ji family. When the Ji family sacrificed, they sacrificed until dark, and when daylight was not enough they continued by candle. Even with a strong bearing and a reverent heart, all were worn out. The officials leaned to one side as they attended the sacrifice, and the irreverence was great. Later, when Zilu took part in the sacrifices, matters in the chamber were handed over at the door and matters in the hall at the steps; work began at first light and ended with the court at dusk. When Confucius heard of it, he said: "Who says You does not know ritual?"