"rites" Thought

As one of the Thirteen Confucian Classics, YiLi occupies an important position in the history of Chinese thought and culture. Although etiquettes and rites have become a buzzword in today's academic field, little attention has been given to YiLi.The content of YiLi belongs to that of the history of social life, and in form, it is mainly about rules and regulations. Therefore, this paper intends to discover the thought in this classics through studying the rules and regulations in it.YiLi has rich and systematic thought. Its core is the thought of Yinyang and Wu hsing, with which all etiquettes and rites are integrated. In YiLi, the thought of Yinyang and Wu hsing embodies a kind of social life and a way of thinking. It exerts a wide and deep influence on the religious thought, ethical thought, educational thought and political thought.Religious thought in YiLi emphasizes that religious visions should be demonstrated by rites. Ethical thought suggests normalizing the worldly ethical relationship by conforming to the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues. Educational thought has the same content as Confucian educational system, but in nature it is official. It is a summary of the educational development in the late Warring States Period, aiming to cultivate ruling talents for the feudal society. Political thought in YiLi centers on Confucian thought of Government by Te, and also adopts the strong points of Legalism and Monism. Thus, it represents an ideal political system, which is supposed to serve the centralized feudal monarchy.Integrating other thoughts with doctrine of Yinyang and Wu hsing characterizes the ideological system of YiLi. Flourishing in the late period of the Warring States, the doctrine of Yinyang and Wu hsing has great influences on the social and historical development of the Qin and Han Dynasties. As an independent and complete personal book, YiLi Cannot be written before the Qin Dynasty. Based on the characteristics of the ideological system and objective elements, this paper believes that YiLi is written in the transitional period of Qin and Han Dynasties by a Confucian pupil.