Yili (text) - Content

Content

After disparaging the repetitive and "unnecessary detail" in the text, John Steele described it as a "picture of the public and private life, education, family interests, and work-a-day religion of an average man in the China of 3,000 years ago" (Steele 1917:vii-viii)

The received text of the Yili contains seventeen pian 篇 "chapters; sections".

Yili Chapters
Number Chinese Pinyin Translation (Boltz 1993:235-236)
1 士冠禮 Shiguan li Capping rites for (the son of) a common officer
2 士昏禮 Shihun li Nuptial rites for a common officer
3 士相見禮 Shi xiangjian li Rites attendant on the meeting of common officers with each other
4 鄉飲酒禮 Xiang yinjiu li Rites of the district symposium
5 鄉射禮 Xiang she li Rites of the district archery meet
6 燕禮 Yan li Banquet rites (at state, not imperial, level)
7 大射 Dashe The great archery meet (state level)
8 聘禮 Pin li Rites of courtesy calls (state to state)
9 公食大夫禮 Gongshi dafu li Rites of the gong feasting a great officer
10 覲禮 Jin li Rites of the (imperial) audience
11 喪服 Sang fu Mourning attire
12 士喪禮 Shi sang li Mourning rites for the common officer
13 既夕禮 Ji xi li (Mourning procedures of) the evening preceding burial
14 士虞禮 Shi yu li Post burial rites for a common officer
15 特牲饋食禮 Tesheng kuishi li Rites of the single victim food offering
16 少牢饋食禮 Shaolao kuishi li Rites of the secondary pen victim food offering
17 有司徹 Yousi che The servant clearing the way

Compared with the other ritual texts, the Etiquette and Ceremonial contains some highly-detailed descriptions. Take for instance, this passage about the ceremony for the personator of the dead:

Then the host descends and washes a goblet. The personator and the aide descend also, and the host, laying the cup in the basket, declines the honor. To this the personator makes a suitable reply. When the washing is finished, they salute one another, and the personator goes up, but not the aide. Then the host fills the goblet and pledges the personator. Standing, facing north to the east of the eastern pillar, he sits down, laying down the cup, bows, the personator, to the west of the western pillar, facing north, and bowing in return. Then the host sits, offers of the wine, and drinks. When he has finished off the cup, he bows, the personator bowing in return. He then descends and washes the goblet, the personator descending and declining the honor. The host lays the cup in the basket, and making a suitable reply, finishes the washing and goes up, the personator going up also. Then the host fills the goblet, the personator bowing and receiving it. The host returns to his place and bows in reply. Then the personator faces north, sits, and lays the goblet to the left of the relishes, the personator, aide, and host all going to their mats. (tr. Steele 1917 2:195-6)

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