An Inquiry into the Core of Xunzi's 'On Rites': The Origin of Rites, Textual-Structural Logic, and the Way of Elevation and Reduction

Chapter 7 The Book of Odes says, "Rites and ceremonies perfectly measure, laughter and speech perfectly accord": Proving Rites with the Odes

Section 1 Quoting the Odes: The Meaning of the Citation

"The Book of Odes says: 'Rites and ceremonies perfectly measure (zong du), laughter and speech perfectly accord (zong huo).’ This is what is meant."

Master Xunzi concludes his essay by citing a passage from the Book of Odes (Shi Jing) to summarize and verify his arguments. The practice of quoting the Odes as verification is extremely common in pre-Qin texts. Master Kong once said:

"The Three Hundred Odes can be summed up in one phrase: 'Without depravity.'" (Analects, Wei Zheng)

The Book of Odes is not merely a work of literature but a foundational text for pre-Qin scholarship—it contains rich thought on politics, ethics, ritual, and philosophy, serving as a primary basis for the arguments of the Hundred Schools.

"Rites and ceremonies perfectly measure" (Li yi zong du)—Rites and ceremonies completely conform to the standard. Zong means "completely" or "entirely." Du means "standard" or "measure." All rites perfectly adhere to the standards—neither more nor less, neither leaning to one side nor the other.

"Laughter and speech perfectly accord" (Xiao yu zong huo)—Laughter and speech are perfectly measured. Huo means "to gain" or "to hit the mark," here meaning perfectly appropriate and in moderation. Laughter and speech are always appropriate—not overly casual ("rustic") nor overly stiff ("affected").

These two lines come from the Book of Odes, Xiao Ya, Chu Ci, describing the banquet scene following a sacrifice. In the banquet, participants both observed all ritual norms ("Rites and ceremonies perfectly measure") and maintained a natural, joyful atmosphere ("laughter and speech perfectly accord"). This is a vivid portrayal of Master Xunzi’s ideal: "emotion and culture fully realized" or "ending in joyful calibration." Within the complete framework of Rites, emotions are fully and appropriately expressed; amidst free and joyous laughter, order and norms are consciously observed.

Section 2 The Essence of Measure (Du) in "Perfectly Measure"

The character du (measure) in "Rites and ceremonies perfectly measure" echoes the du (measure) in "measure, quantity, division, boundary" mentioned earlier.

"Measure" (Du)—Standard, scale, criterion. Every rite has its "measure"—when to do what, to what extent, and where to stop. The totality of these "measures" constitutes the complete normative system of Rites.

"Perfectly measure" (Zong du)—Completely adhering to measure. This implies that not a single step is omitted or deviated from—every detail is just right. This is precisely the state of the Sage mentioned earlier—"grasping the order implicitly" (qu de qi ci xu). The Sage’s performance of Rites is perfectly ordered in every bend (qu)—this is "perfectly measure" (zong du).

The Analects, Tai Bo chapter records Master Kong’s highest praise for Tai Bo:

"The Master said, 'Tai Bo, one can truly call him possessing the utmost virtue! He thrice yielded the realm to others, yet the people had no way to praise him.' "

Tai Bo yielded the throne three times, and the people did not know how to praise him—because his actions were so natural, without any trace of intentional display. This state of "no way to praise" (wu de er cheng) is the ultimate expression of "perfectly measure" (zong du)—Rites are performed so perfectly that they seem not to be performed at all.

Section 3 The Essence of Accord (Huo) in "Perfectly Accord"

The character huo (accord/gain) in "Laughter and speech perfectly accord" (Xiao yu zong huo) is also worth deep consideration.

"Accord" (Huo)—To have a gain, to hit the target, meaning perfectly appropriate and in moderation. "Laughter and speech perfectly accord" does not mean that laughter and speech yield a tangible profit, but that they are always exactly right—laughing when one should laugh, speaking when one should speak, laughing just as loud as one should, speaking just as much as one should—everything is just right.

This reminds us of a famous saying by Master Kong:

"The Master said, 'There are three faults in serving a gentleman: to speak before one is spoken to is called rashness; to fail to speak when one should is called concealment; to speak without observing the gentleman’s expression is called blindness.'" (Analects, Ji Shi)

When speaking to a gentleman, there are three faults: speaking before it is your turn is rashness; failing to speak when it is your turn is concealment; speaking without observing the other’s expression is blindness. These three faults are all instances of "laughter and speech not according" (xiao yu bu huo)—speaking without propriety. Conversely, "laughter and speech perfectly accord" means: speaking when appropriate, remaining silent when not, and speaking only when the moment is right—every word hits the mark.

Section 4 "This is what is meant": The Concluding Meaning

"This is what is meant." (Ci zhi wei ye.)

Master Xunzi uses this phrase from the Book of Odes to conclude and summarize his entire argument. His intention is that the beautiful scene described in the Book of Odes—where "Rites and ceremonies perfectly measure, laughter and speech perfectly accord"—is the literary expression of the ideal state of Rites he has been discussing.

Theoretically, this ideal state is:

• "Emotion and culture fully realized" (qing wen ju jin)—Emotion and form both reach their extremes.
• "When the two combine to form culture, they return to the Great Unity" (liang zhe he er cheng wen, yi gui Da Yi)—Root and utility are perfectly unified, returning to the Great Unity.
• "Ends in joyful calibration" (zhong hu yue jiao)—Consciously observing order amidst harmony and joy.
• "Moving deftly and grasping the order implicitly" (fang huang zhou xie, qu de qi ci xu)—Skillfully mastering every detail.
• Possessing the qualities of "Depth, Greatness, Height, and Brightness" (hou, da, gao, ming).

In practice, this ideal state is exactly as described in the Book of Odes—during sacrificial banquets, all rites conform to standards, and all laughter and speech are perfectly appropriate—solely solemn yet naturally free, both regulated and liberal, both profound and joyous.