Book of Rites
Translated by James Legge
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The opening
SeEcTion I.
1. The son of Heaven, when sacrificing, wore (the cap) with the twelve long pendants of beads of jade hanging down from its top before and behind, and the robe embroidered with dragons.
2. When saluting the appearance of the sun outside the eastern gate, he wore the dark-coloured square-cut robes; and (also) when listening to the notification of the first day of the month outside the southern gate.
3. If the month were intercalary, he caused the left leaf of the door to be shut, and stood in the middle of that (which remained open).
4. He wore the skin cap at the daily audience in the court, after which he proceeded to take the morning meal in it. At midday he partook of what was left in the morning. He had music at his meals. Every day a sheep and a pig were killed and cooked; and on the first day of the month an ox in addition. There were five beverages:—water, which was the principal; rice-water, spirits, must, and millet-water.
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About this edition
- The words
- James Legge's English translation, copied word for word.
- Left out
- Page numbers and running heads from the printed pages, in 4 places
- The reprint's cover (Motilal Banarsidass): series title, volume number (4 blocks)
- The title page and opening pages before chapter 1, in 3 places
- The reprint's copyright, reprint dates, addresses and printer's page (8 blocks)
- Notes and pages added by translators, editors or publishers, in 6 places
- The index
- A speck of the scan read as a mark or letter, standing alone in the margin ("’", "a", "yyy") (5 blocks)
- Pictures and their captions
- Other material that isn't the author's