從《禮記‧冠義》論儒家成人禮的意義

The Meaning of Confucian Capping Ceremony from Guan-Yi of Li-Ji

冠禮即今人所謂之成年禮，為《儀禮》所記生命禮儀中首項。《儀禮‧士冠禮》完整記錄男子成年禮的儀式過程，《禮記‧冠義》則為闡釋冠禮儀節而作，說明儀式步驟的道德用意。本文以《禮記‧冠義》文本為主，自禮義道德及宗法社會制度兩方面討論冠禮的意義。儀式外在形式的表現於冠者而言，兼及人倫道德與社會化的意義，同時改變服制是社會認同的象徵符號。

This article is an attempt to analyze the meaning of Confucian Capping Ceremony from the chapter Guan-Yi (The meaning of Capping Ceremony) of Li-Ji (The Book of Rites). The Capping Ceremony is a ceremony of manhood which signifies establishing a society of harmony and in order by emphasizing the importance of li(politeness) and Yi(rightness). The different appearance from a child to an adult implies the cognition of his family and the society.