Original text

3.11 When someone asked about Qi's theory, Confucius said: "I don't know. I know what he said about it in the world. It is like this!" Pointing to the palm of his hand .

Notes

① Indicates: It has two meanings, one is "to place", which means to place or place, that is, it refers to things placed on the hand, which can be clearly seen; the other is " See". Both theories are applicable, let’s talk about it now and in the past. Si: refers to the word "palm" at the back.

Translation

Someone asked Confucius about the content of holding the Qi Festival. Confucius said: "I don't know. People who know how to govern the world may be as easy as putting things here!" When speaking, he pointed to his palm.

Interpretation

Ritual is the foundation of governing a country

According to what is recorded in this chapter, Confucius not only regarded the Yi sacrifice as a set of sacrificial rituals, but as a Principles of governing the country. He warned the "Qi sacrifices" that only by truly understanding the meaning of "Qi sacrifices" can they govern the world well. Otherwise, it's all just talk. As a master who was proficient in etiquette, Confucius discussed the rituals at such a high level, which is enough to illustrate the great value and significance of the rituals.

Someone asked Confucius about the relevant regulations of the rites. Confucius said to him: "I don't know." Then Confucius said: "You know what he said about it in the world, and he showed it like this! "And pointed to his palm. This means that if you understand the true meaning of the rites, it will be easy to govern the country well. From this we can see that it was not that Confucius was ignorant of the rituals, but that the monarchs and ministers of the state of Lu acted both transgressively and disrespectfully when performing the rituals. As a minister of the Lu State, it was inconvenient for Confucius to say it clearly because it was a taboo for the venerable.

The Yan Sacrifice was an important ritual in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties. During the Zhou Dynasty, it was first held by the king of Zhou, and later the princes could also hold it. The object of the sacrifice is the ancestors and ancestors of the officiant, and the ceremony is held in the Imperial Ancestral Temple or the Ancestral Temple of the Emperor, as well as the Ancestral Temple of the Duke. During the sacrificial process, there are strict regulations regarding the officiant, participants and spectators, as well as the sacrificial procedures, the specifications and quantities of ritual vessels and sacrifices.

It is not difficult to see from this that as a very high-level mysterious ceremony, it first has a religious color. In the patriarchal era, this ceremony can reveal the mystery and legitimacy of the state power to the ministers, and enhance the Identity and cohesion within the ruling group. Secondly, the objects of sacrifice and the power of sacrifice, that is, the order of the ancestors and the regulations about the person who will perform the sacrifice, have a strict hierarchy, which not only demonstrates the patriarchal ethics of ordering the elders and the younger, but also emphasizes the political order of the monarch and his ministers, and the influence on the rule. The stability of the group's internal order and the confirmation of its authority are of special significance. Furthermore, strict hierarchical regulations, grand ceremonies, and solemn atmosphere can bring great spiritual shock and emotional influence to the participants, cultivate their cherishment of the regime and loyalty to the monarch, and strengthen their respective A sense of power and responsibility that adheres to one's duties can cultivate a respectful, solemn, loyal and prudent governance attitude. In short, the rituals contain both moral norms, political systems, and patriarchal ethics. They have rich political and ethical connotations and play an important role similar to modern constitutions, government organizational laws, and administrative laws. Applying this idea of ??etiquette to the court can make the monarch and his ministers perform their duties, and the government orders can be smooth and orderly. If this practice is carried out in the world, there will be harmony between the top and bottom, the people will be happy, and the world will be peaceful. Therefore, the spirit embodied in Yuli is the foundation of governing the world.

It is precisely because the Yi Festival has such rich cultural connotations and important political significance that Confucius said that if the true meaning of the Yi Festival is understood, then all the principles in the world can be understood. However, in the era he lived in, etiquette had collapsed. The emperor and the princes could not govern the country with etiquette and lost the foundation of governing the country. Therefore, the society was disordered and the world was in chaos.

Confucius’s remarks here remind us that no matter it is a country or an organization, whether it is an institution or an enterprise, it should have its own "ritual system". Leaders must firmly grasp this foundation of governance and steadily advance own career. If tradition is abandoned or the system is corrupted, "rituals and music will collapse", leading to disorder and eventual failure.