Mourning in the canonical confucian regulations (according to “Li ji” canonical treatise)

Abstract

The chapters that contain descriptions of the mourning rites in ancient China form the greater part of the text of Li ji (“Notes on rite”), composed in the 1st century B. C. That appears natural as it was considered in the past that nothing is more important in li (rite) than the mourning. There was a number of ways to express grief and sorrow after a death of a relative. Ritual rules dictated different lengths of mourning periods: three months, five months, a year, three years. The duration of a mourning period depended on the degree of relationship with the deceased and on the heaviness of sorrow felt by the relatives. The depth of feelings was adjusted through moral “regulators” — ren (humanity), yi (duty), li (rite), zhi (wisdom), en (compassion), li (justice), jie (temperance), quan (malleability). There were 5 degrees of different mourning strictness: zhancui, zicui, dagong, xiaogong, sima. The strictest one was zhancui — mourning for father. Wearing proper mourning clothes for a certain period of time was a crucial element of the morning rite. Types of mourning clothes varied depending on the degree of relationship with the deceased — they had different cut, thickness and quality. A simple glance at a mourning clothes was enough to deduce the degree of mourning. Both behaviour and lifestyle had to correspond to the degree of mourning as well. Li ji contained a detailed regulation system of the way mourning had to be held. However, those rules could be adjusted in order to fit the circumstances, the main postulate being not to rush into extremes. “A noble one must not exceed the limits of mourning, the one who is not virtuous must not leave the rite unfinished. This is the way of zhongyong (the golden mean)”. Refs 6.

Keywords:

China, Confucian canon, “Li ji”, li rite, the sangfu mourning, mourning period, the degree of mourning, mourning clothes, mourning staff