{{Short description|2nd-century BC Chinese bureaucratic text}} {{redirect|Zhou Li|the diplomat|Zhou Li (diplomat)}} {{italic title}} {{infobox Chinese | title = ''Rites of Zhou'' | l = [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]] [[Li (Confucianism)|rites]] | t = {{Linktext|周禮}} | s = 周礼 | p = Zhōu lǐ | w = Chou<sup>1</sup> li<sup>3</sup> | y = Jāu láih | h = Ziu li | poj = Chiu lé | mc = {{IPA|/t͡ɕɨu lei<sup>X</sup>/}} | oc-zz = {{IPA|/*tjɯw riːʔ/}} | kanji = 周礼 | kana = しゅらい | romaji = Shurai | hangul = 주례 | hanja = 周禮 | rr = Jurye | qn = Chu lễ | chuhan = 周禮 }} {{Confucianism}} [[File:Chen Hongshou - Lady Xuanwen Giving Instruction on the Rites of Zhou - 1961.89 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tiff|thumb|''[[Lady Xuanwen]] Giving Instruction on the Rites of Zhou'' by [[Chen Hongshou]], 1638]] The '''''Rites of Zhou''''' ({{lang-zh|c=周禮|p=zhōu lǐ}}), originally known as "Officers of Zhou" ({{lang-zh|c=周官|p=zhōu guān|labels=no}}), is a Chinese work on bureaucracy and organizational theory. It was renamed by [[Liu Xin (scholar)|Liu Xin]] to differentiate it from a chapter in the ''[[Book of History]]'' by the same name. To replace a lost work, it was included along with the ''[[Book of Rites]]'' and the ''[[Etiquette and Ceremonial]]'' {{ndash}} becoming one of three ancient ritual texts (the "Three Rites") listed among the classics of [[Confucianism]].
In comparison with other works of its type, the Rite's ruler, though a sage, does not create the state, but merely organizes a bureaucracy. It could not have been composed during the [[Western Zhou]]. With a vision based on [[Warring States period]] society, [[Mark Edward Lewis]] takes it as closely linked to the major administrative reforms of the period, with a system of ranks and duties comparable to the [[Chinese Legalism|"Legalism"]] of [[Shang Yang]].<ref>Benjamin Elman, Martin Kern 2010 p.17,41,137 Statecraft and Classical Learning: The Rituals of Zhou in East Asian History https://books.google.com/books?id=SjSwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA41 * Dingxin Zhao 2015 p.72. The Confucian-Legalist State. https://books.google.com/books?id=wPmJCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA72</ref> While not implying a direct relation with Shang Yang, there are direct parallels between the text and Qin & Han dynasty law, codifying laws and officials for what were earlier morals and norms in ritual texts; e.g. prohibitions on the early hunting or harvest of still young animals.{{sfn|Sanft|2008|p=40-41}}
==Authorship== The book appeared in the 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]] ({{lang|zh-hant|劉德}}; d. 130 BC), a younger brother of the [[Han dynasty|Han]] [[Emperor Wu of Han|emperor Wu]]. Its first editor was [[Liu Xin (scholar)|Liu Xin]] (c. 50 BC {{ndash}} AD 23), who credited it to the [[Duke of Zhou]]. Tradition since at least the [[Song dynasty]] continued this attribution, with the claim that Liu Xin's edition was the final one.
In the 12th century, it was given special recognition by being placed among the [[Five Classics]] as a substitute for the long-lost sixth work, the ''[[Classic of Music]]''.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, following [[Kang Youwei]], the book was often seen as a forgery by Liu Xin. Currently, a few holdouts continue to insist on a [[Western Zhou]] date while the majority follow [[Qian Mu]] and [[Gu Jiegang]] in assigning the work to about the 3rd century BC. [[Yu Ying-shih|Yu Yingshi]] argues for a date in the late [[Warring States]] period based on a comparison of titles in the text with extant bronze inscriptions and calendrical knowledge implicit in the work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iub.edu/~g380/1.8-Ritual-2010.pdf |title=Zhou Ritual Culture and its Rationalization |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=Indiana University |access-date=28 October 2016 |archive-date=28 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328183014/http://www.iub.edu/~g380/1.8-Ritual-2010.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Zhou/zhou-literature.html |title=Rites of Zhou - Classics of Confucianism|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Cultural China |publisher=Shanghai News and Press Bureau |access-date=28 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.cultural-china.com/en/173History868.html |title=Chinese History - Zhou Period Literature, Thought, and Philosophy |first=Ulrich |last=Theobald |website=China Knowledge |access-date=28 October 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712215506/http://history.cultural-china.com/en/173History868.html |archive-date=12 July 2011}}</ref> In this view, the word "Zhou" in the title refers not to the Western Zhou but to the royal State of Zhou of the Warring States; the small area still directly under the king's control.
==Contents== [[File:Shanxi Museum - chariot with "Yue Ren Shou You" design.JPG|thumb|Bronze chariot model based on a passage of the ''Rites of Zhou'', "Make the criminal with his left foot cut off guard the gardens" ({{lang-zh|c=刖人使守囿|p=Yuè rén shǐ shǒu yòu|labels=no}})]] The book is divided into six chapters:<ref name=britannica>{{cite web|title=Zhouli (Chinese ritual text)|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/114736/Zhouli|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=25 July 2011}}</ref><ref name=npm-roc>{{cite web|title=Cultural Invigoration - Books|url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh99/southernsong/en_02.html|publisher=National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院)|access-date=25 July 2011|location=Taipei}}</ref>
#'''Offices of the Heaven''' ({{lang-zh|t=天官冢宰|p=Tiānguān Zhǒngzǎi|labels=no}}) on general principles of governance, appointment of officials, guards, attendants and royal purveyors of provisions such as wine, jade, dried meat, vinegar... Descriptions on duties and responsibilities of officials, eunuchs and concubines; #'''Offices of Earth''' ({{lang-zh|t=地官司徒|p=Dìguān Sītú|labels=no}}) on local governance, agriculture, taxation and division of land; #'''Offices of Spring''' ({{lang-zh|t=春官宗伯|p=Chūnguān Zōngbó|labels=no}}) on ceremonies, music, rituals and divinatory practices; #'''Offices of Summer''' ({{lang-zh|t=夏官司馬|p=Xiàguān Sīmǎ|labels=no}}) on the organization of the army; #'''Office of Autumn''' ({{lang-zh|t=秋官司寇|p=Qiūguān Sīkòu|labels=no}}) on justice, punishments, legal system and court rites; #'''Office of Winter''' ({{lang-zh|t=冬官考工記|p=Dōngguān Kǎogōngjì|labels=no}}) on public works, manufacturing, artisans, craftmanship and art.
The work consists mainly of schematic lists of Zhou dynasty bureaucrats, stating what the function of each office is and who is eligible to hold it. Sometimes though the mechanical listing is broken off by pieces of philosophical exposition on how a given office contributes to social harmony and enforces the universal order.
The division of chapters follows the six departments of the Zhou dynasty government. The bureaucrats within a department come in five ranks: minister (''{{lang|zh-Latn|qing}}'' {{lang|zh|卿}}), councilor (''{{lang|zh-Latn|da fu}}'' {{lang|zh|大夫}}), senior clerk (''{{lang|zh-Latn|shang shi}}'' {{lang|zh|上士}}), middle clerk (''{{lang|zh-Latn|zhong shi}}'' {{lang|zh|中士}}) and junior clerk (''{{lang|zh-Latn|xia shi}}'' {{lang|zh|下士}}). There is only one minister per department -the department head-, but the other four ranks all have multiple holders spread across various specific professions.
It was translated into French by [[Édouard Biot]] as ''Le Tcheou-Li ou Rites des Tcheou, traduit pour la première fois du Chinois'' in 1850 and an abridged English translation edition called ''Institutes of the Chow Dynasty Strung as Pearls by Hoo peih seang'' and translated by William Raymond Gingell in 1852.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=44DPBVA1EpkC&q=institutes+of+the+chow+dynasty+strung+as+pearls |title=The Ceremonial Usages of the Chinese: B. C. 1121, as Prescribed in the "Institutes of the Chow Dynasty Strung as Pearls;" Or, Chow Le Kwan Choo ... Being an Abridgement of the Chow Le Classic |date=1852 |publisher=Smith, Elder, & Company}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4WBX43-ygsIC&q=Le+Tcheou-Li+ou+Rites+des+Tcheou,+traduit+pour+la+premi%C3%A8re+fois+du+Chinois. |title=Le Tcheou-li ou Rites des Tcheou traduit pour la première fois du chinois par feu Édouard Biot: Tome 1 |date=1851 |publisher=Imprimerie nationale |language=fr}}</ref>
In addition to the ''[[Etiquette and Ceremonial]]'', the Rites of Zhou contain one of the earliest references to the [[Three Obediences and Four Virtues]], a set of principles directed exclusively at women that formed a core part of [[Women in ancient and imperial China#Zhou dynasty|female education during the Zhou]].{{sfnp|Kelleher|2005|p=496}}
==Record of Trades== {{main|Ancient Chinese urban planning}}
A part of the Winter Offices, the ''Record of Trades'' (''{{lang|zh-Latn|[[Kao Gong Ji]]}}''), contains important information on technology, architecture, city planning, and other topics. A passage records that, "The master craftsman constructs the state capital. He makes a square nine ''{{lang|zh-Latn|[[li (unit)|li]]}}'' on one side; each side has three gates. Within the capital are nine north-south and nine east-west streets. The north-south streets are nine carriage tracks in width". It was translated by Jun wenren as Ancient Chinese Encyclopedia of Technology Translation and Annotation of Kaogong Ji, the Artificers' Record.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wenren |first=Jun |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t0PBtAEACAAJ |title=Ancient Chinese Encyclopedia of Technology: Translation and Annotation of Kaogong Ji, the Artificers' Record |date=2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-8153-6738-3}}</ref>
== References == === Citations === {{Reflist|30em}}
=== Sources === {{Wikisource|zh|周禮|''Rites of Zhou'' (in Chinese)}} * {{cite book |last = Jin |first = Chunfeng |title = New examinations on the composition of the Zhouguan and on the culture and age reflected in the classic |publisher = Dongda Tushu Co. |location = Taipei |year = 1993 |isbn = 957-19-1519-X}} * {{cite journal |last = Lu |first = Youren |title = Summary on Zhouli |journal = Journal of Henan Normal University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition) |year = 2001 |url = http://218.17.222.243/was40/detail?record=1&channelid=13214&searchword=%20%28%20%C2%C0%D3%D1%C8%CA+%29+and+%28+%B1%EA%CC%E2%3D%27%A1%B6%D6%DC%C0%F1%A1%B7%B8%C5%CB%B5%27%20%29 |access-date = 2006-06-04 |archive-date = 2007-10-07 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071007085245/http://218.17.222.243/was40/detail?record=1&channelid=13214&searchword=%20%28%20%C2%C0%D3%D1%C8%CA+%29+and+%28+%B1%EA%CC%E2%3D%27%A1%B6%D6%DC%C0%F1%A1%B7%B8%C5%CB%B5%27%20%29 |url-status = dead}} * {{cite journal |last=Sanft |first=Charles |date=2008 |title=Notes on Penal Ritual and Subjective Truth under the Qin |url=https://jstor.org |journal=Asia Major |series=Third Series |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=35–57 |jstor=41649941}}
==Bibliography== * Boltz, William G., 'Chou li' in: ''Early Chinese Texts. A Bibliographical Guide'' (Loewe, Michael, ed.), pp. 24–32, Berkeley: Society for the Study of Early China, 1993, (Early China Special Monograph Series No. 2), {{ISBN|1-55729-043-1}}. *{{cite book | chapter=San-ts'ung ssu-te | last1=Kelleher | first1=M. Theresa | pages=496 | title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Confucianism | volume=2 N-Z | editor-last1=Taylor | editor-first1=Rodney L. | editor-last2=Choy | editor-first2=Howard Y.F. | location=New York | publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group | date=2005 | isbn=978-0-8239-4081-3 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dmCZmnFBypEC&pg=PA496 }} *Karlgren, Bernhard, 'The Early History of the Chou li and Tso chuan Texts' in: ''Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquites'', 3 (1931), pp. 1–59 * Nylan, Michael, ''The Five 'Confucian' Classics'', New Haven (Yale University Press), 2001, {{ISBN|0-300-08185-5}}, Chapter 4, The Three Rites Canon pp. 168–202.
== External links == * ''[http://ctext.org/rites-of-zhou Rites of Zhou]'' {{in lang|zh}} * ''[http://classiques.uqac.ca/classiques/chine_ancienne/auteurs_chinois.html Rites of Zhou]'' {{in lang|fr}}
{{Confucian texts}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rites Of Zhou}} [[Category:Chinese classic texts]] [[Category:Confucian texts]] [[Category:Thirteen Classics]] [[Category:Confucian rites]]