英文摘要 |
The passage from the Analects, "As for that part of the di sacrifice which follows the opening libation, I do not wish to witness it," has long been misinterpreted by almost all commentators from ancient times to the present because they believed that Confucius felt indignation at the di sacrifice being performed in Lu. This paper presents Zheng Xuan's (127-200) annotation of the passage, which is imperative to understanding what Confucius really meant. It argues that the character sheng in Zheng Xuan's annotation refers to the most important part of the di sacrifice. According to Zheng's interpretation, Confucius expresses his views that the climax of the di sacrifice lies in the pouring of the opening libation (guan) for the impersonator, in which the worshipper spiritually interacts with his ancestor, and that the ensuing ceremonies are not worth witnessing. This interpretation accords completely with some Han and Song scholars' commentaries on Hexagram 20 (Guan) in the Book of Changes and this attests to the correlation of the Analects and the Book of Changes and its commentaries. This paper thus provides reflections on the interpretation of the Analects. |