Spirituality and Religion

Li Ki

Confucian Ritual, Court Ceremony, Family Ethics, and Moral Self-Cultivation in Ancient ChinaBy Anonymous

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Li Ki, commonly known as the Book of Rites or Liji, is a foundational anthology of early Chinese ritual, ethical, and political thought. Rather than presenting a single continuous argument, it gathers essays, dialogues, regulations, anecdotes, and reflections on ceremony, mourning, education, music, family conduct, and government. Its literary style consequently ranges from concise precepts and formal prescriptions to philosophical meditation and exemplary narrative. Read within the Confucian tradition, the work reveals how ritual was understood not as empty formality but as a discipline capable of ordering emotion, society, and the state. It also preserves valuable evidence about the intellectual and institutional world of pre-imperial and early imperial China. The anonymity of Li Ki is itself historically significant. The text is the product of generations of transmission, compilation, and editorial arrangement rather than the invention of one identifiable author. Its materials are associated with the Confucian recovery and systematization of ancient customs, especially as scholars sought to preserve norms threatened by political upheaval and cultural change. The anthology's composite form reflects the long development of the ritual tradition and its adaptation to changing historical circumstances. Li Ki deserves the attention of readers interested in Confucianism, comparative ethics, religious studies, anthropology, and the history of political thought. It offers both a practical account of social behavior and a profound inquiry into how inherited forms shape moral character. Patient readers will find in its diverse chapters an indispensable counterpart to the Analects and other Chinese classics, as well as a challenging meditation on the relationship between ceremony, humanity, and civilization.

Family Folklore Supernatural Mythological World Memory Political Intrigue Grief Royalty & Courts Identity Psychological Crime

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Rating★★★★ 4.1 (211)

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GenreSpirituality and Religion

Length2 hrs 19 mins

Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices

FormateBook with Audio

Publish dateSep 10, 2021

LanguageEnglish

1The Institutes of Justinian

26BOOK XXI. KÎ Î.

2INTRODUCTION.

27BOOK XXII. KÎ THUNG.

3CHAPTER I. THREE DIFFERENT LÎ KING, OR RITUAL BOOKS, ACKNOWLEDGED IN CHINA. THE RECOVERY OF THE FIRST TWO, AND FORMATION OF THE THIRD, UNDER THE HAN DYNASTY.

28BOOK XXIII. KING KIEH.

4CHAPTER II. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CHINESE CHARACTER CALLED LÎ. MEANING OF THE TITLE LÎ KÎ. VALUE OF THE WORK.

29BOOK XXIV. ÂI KUNG WAN.

5CHAPTER III. BRIEF NOTICES OF THE DIFFERENT BOOKS WHICH MAKE UP THE COLLECTION.

30BOOK XXV. KUNG-NÎ YEN KÜ.

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6BOOK I. KHÜ LÎ.

31BOOK XXVI. KHUNG-DZE HSIEN KÜ.

7BOOK II. THAN KUNG

32BOOK XXVII. FANG KÎ.

8BOOK III. WANG KIH.

33BOOK XXVIII. KUNG YUNG.