Chapter 3: The First Month of Spring in the Book of Rites, "Monthly Ordinances": A Complete Cosmic Picture

I. The Nature of the Monthly Ordinances: A General Program of Action between Heaven and Humanity

Among all pre-Qin texts, the most detailed and systematic description of Lichun and its month, the first month of spring, is found in the "Monthly Ordinances" (月令) chapter of the Book of Rites (Liji) (its content closely parallels the "Record of the First Month of Spring" in the Lüshi Chunqiu, and most scholars hold that the two share a common origin). The Monthly Ordinances is not a simple calendrical record, but a complete general program of action linking Heaven and humanity—it tells us how, at a given point in time, the heavens behave, how things on earth behave, and how human affairs ought to proceed. And the first month of spring, as the head of the year, is the opening and the guiding principle of the entire Monthly Ordinances—its importance goes without saying.

The "Monthly Ordinances" opens by sketching a complete cosmic picture for the first month of spring:

"In the first month of spring, the sun is in Yingshi; at dusk, Shen culminates; at dawn, Wei culminates" (孟春之月，日在营室，昏参中，旦尾中).

These three phrases indicate, respectively, the lunar lodge in which the sun resides, the lunar lodge culminating at the meridian at dusk, and the lunar lodge culminating at the meridian at dawn. "The sun is in Yingshi"—the sun has moved to the position of the lodge Yingshi (Room, or Shi); "at dusk, Shen culminates"—at dusk, the lodge Shen (Orion) sits precisely at the center of the southern sky; "at dawn, Wei culminates"—at dawn, the lodge Wei (Tail) sits at the center of the southern sky. The positions of these lunar lodges were the most reliable astronomical basis by which the ancients judged the season. That the first month of the year begins by speaking first of celestial phenomena reveals precisely the fundamental stance of the Monthly Ordinances—"governing humanity by way of Heaven."

II. The Complete Picture of Five-Phase Correlations: The First Month of Spring, When the Virtue of Wood Presides

Immediately following, the Monthly Ordinances, in a series of highly condensed phrases, constructs the complete system of Five-Phase correlations for the first month of spring:

"Its days are jia and yi; its sovereign is Da Hao; its guardian spirit is Goumang; its creatures are the scaly ones; its note is jue; its number is eight; its flavor is sour; its odor is goatish; its sacrifice is to the door, offering the spleen first" (其日甲乙，其帝大皞，其神句芒，其虫鳞，其音角，其数八，其味酸，其臭膻，其祀户，祭先脾).

This passage constructs an extraordinarily precise system of cosmic correlation. Let us analyze each correlation in turn, for behind each lies the ancients' cosmic logic of "one thread running through all."

"Its days are jia and yi"—the first month of spring corresponds to jia and yi among the Ten Heavenly Stems. Among the Ten Heavenly Stems, jia and yi belong to Wood. Why$28 Because the correspondence between the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Five Phases runs thus: jia and yi belong to Wood (spring), bing and ding belong to Fire (summer), wu and ji belong to Earth (late summer/the center), geng and xin belong to Metal (autumn), ren and gui belong to Water (winter). This system of correlation links time (the Heavenly Stems) with material qualities (the Five Phases), constituting one of the basic frameworks of pre-Qin cosmology. Spring belongs to Wood, and Wood governs generation and growth—precisely corresponding to the quality of Lichun, when the myriad things sprout.

"Its sovereign is Da Hao"—the presiding sovereign of the first month of spring is Da Hao (that is, Taihao, or Fuxi the Great). Why is spring's sovereign Da Hao rather than another$29 This relates to the system correlating the Five Phases with the Five Sovereigns: spring's sovereign is Da Hao (Wood virtue), summer's is the Flame Emperor (Fire virtue), the center's is the Yellow Emperor (Earth virtue), autumn's is Shaohao (Metal virtue), and winter's is Zhuanxu (Water virtue). Da Hao Fuxi is, in ancient legend, the civilizational originator who "first created the Eight Trigrams," taught the people to make nets for fishing and hunting, and established the rites of marriage—he is himself a deity of "beginnings," a sovereign of "origination." To have such a civilizational founder preside over spring, the head of the year, could not be more fitting. We will discuss the mythic significance of Taihao Fuxi in detail in a dedicated chapter below.

"Its guardian spirit is Goumang"—the assistant spirit of the first month of spring is Goumang. Goumang, in ancient mythology, is the wood spirit and spring spirit, a subordinate of Da Hao. The Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing), in "Classic of Regions beyond the Seas: East," records: "Goumang of the east has a bird's body and a human face, and rides upon two dragons" (东方句芒，鸟身人面，乘两龙). Goumang, in his capacity as wood spirit and spring spirit, presides over the east and over spring, entirely consistent with the notion, within the Five-Phase system, that Wood belongs to the east. "Gou" (句) means bent or curled; "mang" (芒) means the bristle or awn of newly sprouting vegetation. The very name Goumang is a depiction of the image of vegetation first sprouting, its tender shoots curled and budding forth. We will explore this wood spirit's world in depth in a dedicated chapter on mythology.

"Its creatures are the scaly ones"—the representative category of creature for the first month of spring is the "scaly creatures" (鳞虫), that is, animals with scales, referring chiefly to fish and to the dragon-and-serpent kind. In the pre-Qin system of animal classification, all creatures were divided into five great categories: scaly creatures (corresponding to spring), feathered creatures (birds, corresponding to summer), naked creatures (humans, corresponding to the center), furred creatures (beasts, corresponding to autumn), and shelled creatures (crustaceans, corresponding to winter). Scaly creatures correspond to spring for two reasons: first, among Lichun's Three Pentads is "fish rise and bear the ice," referring to fish swimming up near the ice, precisely the mark of scaly creatures beginning to stir; second, the dragon belongs to the scaly creatures, and the dragon is spring's sacred creature—"the dragon raises its head" occurs in the second month, the hibernating dragon rising with the coming of spring, precisely corresponding to the image of Wood virtue's generation and growth.

"Its note is jue"—the musical note of the first month of spring is "jue." Among the Five Notes (gong, shang, jue, zhi, yu), the note jue is clear and rising, its tonal quality corresponding to Wood's character of generation, growth, and upward reach. The ancients believed that each season had its own particular "sound"—not that one could hear only the note jue in spring, but that the frequency at which the qi of Heaven and Earth vibrated in spring resonated with the frequency of the note jue. What a marvelous and audacious conception this is! It links acoustics with cosmology, holding that there exists between Heaven and Earth a "resonance" transcending the merely material. We will discuss in detail, in a dedicated chapter on musical pitch, the pitch-pipe "Taicu," which corresponds to Lichun.

"Its number is eight"—the numerological correlate of the first month of spring is eight. Within the pre-Qin system of numerology, one and six belong to Water, two and seven to Fire, three and eight to Wood, four and nine to Metal, five and ten to Earth. Eight belongs to Wood, hence its correlation with spring. The origin of this correlation between numbers and the Five Phases is exceedingly ancient, possibly related to the tradition of the River Chart and Luo Writing (河图洛书). "Three and eight are Wood"—three is the generating number, eight the completing number; spring's Wood taking eight as its completing number signifies that Wood virtue achieves its "completion" in spring.

"Its flavor is sour"—the flavor of the first month of spring is sour. The correlation of the Five Flavors (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, salty) with the Five Phases runs: sour belongs to Wood (spring), bitter to Fire (summer), sweet to Earth (late summer), pungent to Metal (autumn), salty to Water (winter). Why does the sour flavor belong to Wood$30 One explanation holds that the sour flavor possesses a quality of astringency and inward gathering, and that at the moment vegetation first sprouts, its vital force must be gathered and condensed inward before it can burst forth; another, more sensory understanding is that early-spring produce (such as newly sprouted wild greens and tender shoots) often carries a sour, astringent taste. Within the ancients' framework of perception, taste was not merely a sensation of the tongue, but a manifestation of the qi of Heaven and Earth.

"Its odor is goatish"—the odor of the first month of spring is goatish (膻). Among the Five Odors (goatish, scorched, fragrant, fishy, putrid), the goatish odor is correlated with Wood and with spring. The goatish odor is the smell of vegetation first sprouting, of vital qi just beginning to stir, corresponding to spring's Wood virtue.

"Its sacrifice is to the door"—the object of sacrifice in the first month of spring is the "door spirit." Hu (户) means the door, the household entrance. Why is the door sacrificed to in spring$31 Because spring is the season of "opening"—Heaven and Earth open up, and all things emerge from their hibernating concealment. The door is precisely the symbol of "going out and coming in," of "opening." That the sacrifice to the door corresponds to spring's "opening" follows a consistent logic. Spring belongs to the east, and doors are mostly opened toward the sun (toward the southeast), so as to receive the vital qi.

"Offering the spleen first"—the organ first offered in sacrifice is the spleen. In the correlation between the Five Viscera and the Five Phases, pre-Qin texts hold differing views. Here the Monthly Ordinances correlates the spleen with spring, differing from the later medical tradition's correlation of the liver with Wood (spring). This reflects the differences in the pre-Qin system of Five-Phase correlation across different periods and different schools. But whatever the specific correlation, the underlying logic remains consistent: each organ of the body corresponds to some level of the cosmos, and offering a particular organ in sacrifice expresses the resonance between the human body and Heaven and Earth.

III. Why Does the Monthly Ordinances Construct So Precise a System of Correlation for the Year's Beginning$32

Reflecting on the analysis above, we cannot help but ask: why does the Monthly Ordinances devote such extensive space, at the very beginning of the year, to constructing this precise cosmic system of correlation$33 Would it not suffice simply to know that "spring has come, it is time to plant"$34

The answer lies here: for the ancients, merely knowing that "spring has come" was far from sufficient. What they needed to know was this—behind the beginning of this year, in what manner does the entire cosmos restart itself$35 The lodges in the heavens, the vegetation upon the earth, the five viscera of the human body, the five flavors of food, the five notes of sound—how is everything threaded through, linked together, and reactivated anew by this same single force of "generation and growth"$36

This impulse to seek "one thread running through all" is one of the most salient characteristics of pre-Qin thought. The Master said: "My Way is threaded through by one principle" (吾道一以贯之) (Analects, "Li Ren"). This "one thread running through all" is not merely an ethical principle, but a cosmological conviction—that although the myriad things of Heaven and Earth differ vastly from one another, a single unified law operates behind them all. The system of cosmic correlation constructed by the Monthly Ordinances is precisely the concrete expression of this conviction. And to reaffirm this entire system of correlation at the moment of the year's beginning, Lichun, carries the special significance of "setting the tone for the new year"—it amounts to a declaration that the new year will unfold under the general principle of Wood virtue's generation and growth.

Further still, this system of correlation is not merely epistemological, but practical. It tells rulers and the people what ought and ought not to be done at this most critical of seasons, the year's beginning. This is not merely a matter of practical consideration, but stems from a deeper conviction—that if human conduct is out of step with the Way of Heaven and Earth at the very beginning of the year, then the entire year will deviate from its proper course; only by keeping human affairs at the year's beginning in step with the generative movement of the Way of Heaven can the foundation be laid for a full year of favorable weather and peace under Heaven.

IV. The Conduct of the Son of Heaven in the First Month of Spring: The Left Chamber of the Green Hall and the Ascendant Virtue of Wood

The Monthly Ordinances sets forth extremely detailed regulations for the conduct of the Son of Heaven in the first month of spring:

"The Son of Heaven dwells in the left chamber of the Green Hall, rides in the luan-bell carriage, drives azure dragon-horses, bears green banners, wears green robes, adorns himself with green jade, eats wheat and mutton, and uses vessels that are open-worked and freely permeable" (天子居青阳左个，乘鸾路，驾仓龙，载青旗，衣青衣，服仓玉，食麦与羊，其器疏以达).

In the first month of spring, the Son of Heaven ought to dwell in the northern side chamber of the eastward-facing hall of the Bright Hall (Mingtang) ("the left chamber of the Green Hall," the Green Hall being the eastward-facing hall), ride in a carriage adorned with luan-bells ("the luan-bell carriage"), drive azure, dragon-like steeds ("cang long," cang meaning azure or green), bear green banners ("green banners"), wear green robes ("green robes"), adorn himself with green jade ("azure jade"), eat wheat and mutton ("eats wheat and mutton"), and use vessels that are coarse-textured yet open and permeable ("its vessels are open-worked and permeable").

Why should the Son of Heaven, in spring, dwell in the eastern hall, wear green robes, ride in a green carriage, and drive green horses$37 This is by no means an aesthetic preference, but a strict cosmological requirement—spring belongs to the east, and the color of the east is green (azure). The Son of Heaven, as the intermediary between Heaven and Earth, must have his every act of daily life, every vessel and garment, correspond precisely and seamlessly to the cosmic law governing that season. Wearing green is not for the sake of appearance, but to resonate with the "Wood virtue" of Heaven and Earth, thereby ensuring harmony between Heaven and humanity. Dwelling in "the left chamber of the Green Hall"—the northern side of the eastward-facing hall—is precise even down to directional detail: the first month of spring, being the beginning of spring, calls for dwelling in the northern side of the eastern hall (nearer to the direction of winter); the middle month of spring calls for dwelling at the exact center; the last month of spring calls for dwelling in the southern side. Over the course of the three months, the Son of Heaven's position within the eastern hall gradually shifts southward, precisely mirroring how yang qi, over spring's three months, grows gradually from weak to strong, advancing steadily southward.

Contained within this is an extremely profound concept of political philosophy: the ruler does not govern all under Heaven by his own will, but must govern in accordance with the Way of Heaven. Every act of the Son of Heaven—what color robe he wears, what food he eats, in which chamber of the Bright Hall he dwells—cannot be a matter of personal whim, but must be strictly carried out according to the directives of the Way of Heaven. This is at once a constraint upon the ruler's power (you may not act as you please) and a sanctification of the ruler's authority (your conduct represents the Way of Heaven).

The clause "eats wheat and mutton" also deserves careful examination. Why eat wheat and mutton in spring$38 One explanation holds that wheat, among the five grains, is the one that receives spring's qi earliest and is best able to endure the winter cold and turn green again in spring; mutton, among the five livestock animals, belongs to Wood (or, alternatively, the sheep's gentle, mild nature corresponds to spring's virtue of benevolence). What the Son of Heaven eats is not a matter of personal culinary preference, but a cosmological act. By consuming foods corresponding to the season's Five-Phase attribute, the Son of Heaven absorbs the Wood qi of Heaven and Earth into his own body, thereby making himself the vessel and conduit, in the human world, of the generative qi of Heaven and Earth. "Its vessels are open-worked and permeable" relates to Wood's characteristics—Wood's nature is to grow in orderly, extended, and upward-permeating fashion; hence its vessels ought to be "open-worked" (loosely patterned) and "permeable" (freely flowing), corresponding to the image of spring's vital qi flowing freely and unobstructed.

V. Welcoming Spring at the Eastern Suburbs: The Solemn Ceremony of the Ascendant Virtue of Wood

The Monthly Ordinances goes on to prescribe the most solemn state ceremony of the day of Lichun:

"In this month, Lichun occurs. Three days before Lichun, the Grand Astrologer reports to the Son of Heaven, saying: 'On such-and-such a day, Lichun occurs; the ascendant virtue is in Wood.' The Son of Heaven then fasts and purifies himself. On the day of Lichun, the Son of Heaven personally leads the Three Dukes, the Nine Ministers, the feudal lords, and the great officers to welcome spring at the eastern suburbs. Upon returning, he bestows rewards upon the dukes, ministers, feudal lords, and great officers at court" (是月也，以立春。先立春三日，太史谒之天子曰：「某日立春，盛德在木。」天子乃齐。立春之日，天子亲帅三公九卿诸侯大夫以迎春于东郊。还反，赏公卿诸侯大夫于朝).

This passage describes the formal ceremony of the day of Lichun. Three days before Lichun's arrival, the Grand Astrologer (the official in charge of astronomy and the calendar) must solemnly report to the Son of Heaven: "On such-and-such a day, Lichun occurs; the ascendant virtue is in Wood"—on a certain day Lichun will arrive, and the dominant force of this season ("ascendant virtue") is Wood. The four characters "the ascendant virtue is in Wood" constitute a solemn declaration of the cosmic tenor governing the entire season of spring. The Son of Heaven then begins to fast and purify himself ("qi," meaning "zhai," ritual fasting), and when the day of Lichun arrives, he personally leads the Three Dukes, the Nine Ministers, the feudal lords, and the great officers out to the eastern suburbs, to welcome the arrival of spring.

Why go to the eastern suburbs$39 Because the east belongs to Wood, and spring comes from the east. Spring is welcomed at the eastern suburbs (the east belonging to Wood), summer is welcomed at the southern suburbs (the south belonging to Fire), autumn is welcomed at the western suburbs (the west belonging to Metal), and winter is welcomed at the northern suburbs (the north belonging to Water)—the directions of welcome for the four seasons strictly follow the system of Five-Phase directions. That the Son of Heaven leads the hundred officials out to the eastern suburbs to welcome spring is a matter of "welcoming," through the most solemn of human ceremonies, the vital qi of Wood virtue rising from the east. What a solemn communion between Heaven and humanity this is! It signifies that the arrival of spring is not passively "awaited," but actively "welcomed"; humanity is not a bystander to the workings of the Way of Heaven, but a participant in and assistant to its operation.

After returning from welcoming spring, the Son of Heaven must "bestow rewards upon the dukes, ministers, feudal lords, and great officers at court"—dispensing rewards at court. Why bestow rewards at the time of Lichun$40 Because spring is the season of "generation" for all things, and the qi of Heaven and Earth in this season is expansive, giving, and generous. The Son of Heaven, in according with the Way of Heaven, ought likewise to display generosity and giving in this season. Bestowing rewards and spreading virtue is not political favor-mongering, but a political act attuned to the generative virtue of the Way of Heaven.

VI. The Ordinances and Prohibitions of the First Month of Spring: Governing in Accordance with the Season, Never Going Against the Vital Qi

The Monthly Ordinances also sets forth in detail what is to be done and what is forbidden in the first month of spring, its core spirit being to protect, at every turn, this newly sprouting "vital qi":

"In this month, the Son of Heaven charges his ministers to spread virtue, harmonize ordinances, dispense favors and grant beneficence, extending down to the myriad common people... The felling of trees is forbidden. Nests shall not be overturned; unborn insects, the pregnant, the newly born, and flying birds shall not be killed; fawns shall not be taken, nor eggs gathered... In this month, arms shall not be raised; to raise arms is to invite calamity from Heaven. Military campaigns shall not be initiated, nor shall we be the ones to begin them. Do not alter the Way of Heaven, do not sever the principle of Earth, do not disorder the discipline of humanity" (是月也，命相布德和令，行庆施惠，下及兆民……禁止伐木。毋覆巢，毋杀孩虫、胎、夭、飞鸟，毋麛，毋卵……是月也，不可以称兵，称兵必天殃。兵戎不起，不可从我始。毋变天之道，毋绝地之理，毋乱人之纪).

Let us appreciate the single thread of benevolence running through this series of prohibitions. "The felling of trees is forbidden"—trees may not be cut down, for Wood virtue is just now flourishing, and vegetation is just now being born. "Nests shall not be overturned"—bird's nests may not be overturned. "Unborn insects, the pregnant, the newly born, and flying birds shall not be killed"—larvae, pregnant animals, newborn creatures, and flying birds may not be killed. "Fawns shall not be taken, nor eggs gathered"—fawns may not be captured, bird's eggs may not be taken. This series of prohibitions points, without exception, to a single core principle: in spring, when all things are first coming into life, no harm, killing, or destruction whatsoever may be inflicted.

"Arms shall not be raised; to raise arms is to invite calamity from Heaven"—military campaigns may not be waged, and whoever wages one shall suffer calamity from Heaven. Why is warfare forbidden in spring$41 Because warfare is a matter of slaughter and killing, belonging to the qi of "Metal" and of "autumn"; and spring is the season of "generation," the season when Wood virtue presides. To deploy, in spring, when vital qi is just beginning to sprout, the qi of slaughter that belongs to autumn, is to use "Metal" to attack "Wood," to harm "generation" with "killing"—the most severe possible violation of the Way of Heaven, hence the warning "shall invite calamity from Heaven."

"Do not alter the Way of Heaven, do not sever the principle of Earth, do not disorder the discipline of humanity"—these three phrases form the general principle: do not alter the operating Way of Heaven, do not sever the nurturing principle of Earth, do not disorder the ethical discipline of humanity. Heaven, Earth, and humanity each has its own "Way," "principle," and "discipline"; and at the moment of the year's beginning, Lichun, what matters most is to follow the generative Way of Heaven and Earth, bringing human conduct into accord with it. This concept of "governing in accordance with the season" occupies an extremely important place in pre-Qin political philosophy. It signifies that the best governance is not conducted according to the ruler's subjective will, but according to the objective laws of the Way of Heaven.

VII. The Warning of the Monthly Ordinances: The Consequences of Enacting Untimely Ordinances in the First Month of Spring

Having described what ought to be done in the first month of spring, the Monthly Ordinances also issues a stern warning of the consequences of enacting untimely ordinances:

"If, in the first month of spring, the ordinances of summer are enacted, then rain will come at the wrong times, vegetation will wither prematurely, and the state will be beset with recurring fear. If the ordinances of autumn are enacted, the people will suffer a great pestilence, violent winds and torrential rains will arrive together, and weeds and coarse brush will flourish in abundance. If the ordinances of winter are enacted, there will be ruinous floods, heavy frost and snow, and the earliest-sown crops will fail to take root" (孟春行夏令，则雨水不时，草木蚤落，国时有恐。行秋令，则其民大疫，猋风暴雨总至，藜莠蓬蒿并兴。行冬令，则水潦为败，雪霜大挚，首种不入).

If, during the first month of spring, the ordinances proper to summer were enacted, this would lead to rain falling at the wrong times, vegetation withering prematurely, and the state falling into recurring states of alarm. If the ordinances of autumn (the qi of Metal, the ordinances of slaughter) were enacted, the common people would suffer a great pestilence, violent winds and torrential rain would strike all at once, and noxious weeds and brush would flourish in profusion. If the ordinances of winter (the qi of Water, the ordinances of storage and closure) were enacted, there would be disastrous flooding, excessive frost and snow, and the earliest-sown crops would be unable to take root and grow ("the first sowing fails to take").

What is the logical basis for these warnings$1 It rests upon a core conviction: each season possesses its own particular "qi," and the nature of governmental ordinances likewise possesses its own particular "qi." Enacting, in spring (the season of "generation," when Wood virtue presides), the ordinances of summer (Fire), autumn (Metal), or winter (Water) would provoke conflict between the qi of Wood and the qi of Fire, Metal, or Water, thereby triggering disasters in climate and agriculture. In particular, "if autumn's ordinances are enacted, the people suffer a great pestilence"—disturbing the spring qi in which all things are first coming to life with the stern, killing qi of autumn most readily causes pestilence; "if winter's ordinances are enacted, the first sowing fails to take"—suppressing spring's sprouting qi with winter's qi of closure and storage does the greatest harm to spring plowing. Viewed from the standpoint of modern science, the specific causal claims behind these calamities and anomalies naturally lack empirical grounding; but the political wisdom they embody—that governance ought to accord with the sequence of the seasons and be attuned to the objective needs of society—retains profound value even today. In spring, when all things require nurturing, rest, and unfolding growth, the ruler ought to spread virtue and dispense beneficence, lightening labor levies and taxation; to act contrary to this—imposing harsh exactions and stirring up slaughter—is to act against Heaven, and must bring calamity in its wake.