Rites of Zhou

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The Rites of Zhou (Chinese: 周禮/周礼; pinyin: Zhōulǐ) also known as Zhouguan (Offices of Zhou) is one of three ancient ritual texts listed among the classics of Confucianism. It was later renamed to Zhouli by Liu Xin to disambiguate from a chapter under Classic of History known as Zhouguan. Though tradition ascribed the text to the political figure Duke of Zhou or the first editor Liu Xin, the work is considered by modern scholars to have been an anonymous utopian constitution. For many centuries the book was joined to the Classic of Rites and the Etiquette and Ceremonials and thus constituted one of the Three Rites of Chinese literature.

[edit] Compilation

The book appears in middle of the 2nd century BC, when it was found and included in the collection of Old Texts in the library of Prince Liu De (d.130 BC). The first editor, Liu Xin, originally thought to be the author of the book since the Song Dynasty, was the first scholar known to ascribe the work to the Duke of Zhou. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the book was often seen as a Lin Xin's forgery (after a claim to this effect by Kang Youwei). And a few holdouts in the scholarly community continue to insist on a Western Zhou date for the classic, but the majority, with good reason, follow Qian Mu and Gu Jiegang in ascribing them to about 3rd century BC. Present day scholars, such as Yu Yingshi converging on the late Warring States as the date of compilation of the book, some basing their hypothesis on a comparison of official titles in the text with extant bronze inscriptions, others on the knowledge of the calendars that appears implicit in the text.

The book is divided in six sections under the title of;

1. Offices of Heaven, discusses government in general;
2. Offices of Earth, on education;
3. Offices of Spring, on social and religious institutions;
4. Offices of Summer, on the army;
5. Office of Autumn, on justice;
6. Office of Winter, on population, territory, and agriculture.

In the 12th century, it was given special recognition by being placed among the Six Classics as a substitute for the long-lost Classic of Music.

[edit] References

• Jin Chunfeng (1993). New examinations on the composition of the Zhouguan and on the culture and age reflected in the classic. Taipei: Dongda Tushu Co.. ISBN 957191519.
• Lu Youren (2001). "Summary on Zhouli". Journal of Henan Normal University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition).

[edit] External links

• Rites of Zhou (Chinese)