An Inquiry into the Core of Xunzi's 'On Rites': The Origin of Rites, Textual-Structural Logic, and the Way of Elevation and Reduction
This article provides an in-depth exegesis of the foundational text in the opening of Xunzi's 'On Rites,' systematically analyzing the logical chain linking the origin of rites to human desire and societal conflict, elucidating the structural concept of 'Honoring the fundamental is called text (wen), utilizing it closely is called principle (li),' and investigating the hierarchical dimensions of elevation (long), reduction (sha), and the middle way within rites pertaining to the gentleman's path.
Section 4 Rites in Daily Folk Rituals: The Practical Application of Order
Besides the grand sacrificial Rites, the daily folk activities of antiquity also contained rich concepts of Rites.
There are Rites for eating and drinking—what food different people eat, what vessels to use, and in what order. Li Ji: Qu Li Shang states:
"When eating together, do not eat until full; when sharing food, do not wet your hand to take more."
These seemingly trivial rules are actually norms regulating human eating behavior—ensuring "desires do not exhaust material things" (not wasting due to greed) and "material things are not subjugated by desires" (not compromising hygiene due to greed).
There are Rites for meeting—how to bow, how to address others, how to be seated. The Analects, Xiang Dang chapter details Confucius's conduct in different settings:
"When among villagers, Confucius was respectful and reserved, as if unable to speak. When in the ancestral temple or the court, he spoke fluently, yet with utmost caution."
In the village, Confucius was humble and gentle, seemingly taciturn; in the ancestral temple and the court, he spoke clearly, but with extreme caution. Different occasions require different modes of conduct—this is the application of "using flourishing and reduction as the key principle" (yi long sha wei yao) in daily life.
There are Rites for marriage and mourning—how to marry and how to mourn. The Book of Songs contains many descriptions of marriage and mourning rites. For example, Book of Songs, Zhou Nan, Tao Yao:
"The peach tree is young and tender, its blossoms brilliant red. This young woman is going to her husband, to suit his household."
This wedding song underlies an entire set of marriage ceremonies—proposing marriage, inquiring about the name, presenting the auspicious signs, sending gifts, setting the date, and personally fetching the bride—each step has its specific regulation and meaning.
These Rites in daily customs are the concrete expression of Master Xunzi’s "nurturing human desires and satisfying human demands." Humans desire food and drink; the Rites of eating allow them to satisfy this desire in a civilized and orderly manner. Humans desire marriage; the Rites of marriage allow them to realize this wish in a solemn and harmonious manner. Rites are not a denial of desire but the civilization of desire.