Fell New Exploration,

Learning of ritual (ceremony) is an important part of the traditional classical studies. Learning of The Three Rituals includes the study of "ritual" pattern, naming and system as well as learning of the principles, namely thought and ideas. Learning of ritual in history is actually the textual criticism which is regarded mainly as learning of critical annotation and explanation of "ritual" pattern and naming and system. Learning of explanation lays the foundation for us to understand about learning of ritual. From a modern academic view-point, there are close and multifarious ties with ritual pattern, naming and system and learning of the principles, which all reflect specific thought and ideas. Regarding Zhang Xuecheng's opinion that "All the Six Classics are history", we can see that The Three Rituals embodies not only the history of naming and system but the history of ideas and of thought. During the last ten or twenty years, this point has drawn the attention of some scholars, including some from Taiwan, and some related books have consequently been published. However, I want to begin my study by investigating the concepts of "ritual", and use The Three Rituals as basic historical material, and explore the relationship between "ritual" and religion, "ritual" and morality, "ritual" and law as well as "ritual" and politics in order to discover the spiritual meanings, social functions, and historical effects of "ritual". The "ritual" of ancient China has essentially religious, moral, legal and political characteristics.In my opinion, "ritual" of ancient China originated from primitive religion and retained the nature and content of original religion, namely the religious traces of "ritual" for long periods of history. The religious spirit of "ritual" gradually internalized itself into the spirit of self-limintation of morality which accompanied the growth and development at the social lives, cognitive ability and intellectual level of the people during a certain historical period. In a slightly later historical period, religious spirit of "ritual" externalized, and changed into legal other-limitation. Finally, "ritual" became connected with politics. The religious, moral and legal spirit of ritual embodies political functions, on which various national principles depended. All principles such as religion, morality and law are principles of self-determination which played an important role in keeping social order and harmony in different historical periods.