英文摘要 |
Libation rites and ceremonies are crucial components of Chinese sacrificial rituals. Traditional commentaries on the ritual Classics have various interpretations for the rites of the ''nine libations.'' As one of the most complicated rites in Confucian ritual rubric, the rites and their liturgical procedures are controversial in traditional ritual studies. The earliest record of the rites of ''nine libations'' is from a sixth-century monograph by the classicist Cui Ling'en. Cui's work, the Sanli yizong (Elements of Three Ritual Classics), was partially cited in the Collected Commentaries on the Book of Rites, edited by the Tang classicist Kong Yingda. Thus, theories of ''nine libations'' gained popularity among ritualists of later periods. Using textual criticism and close reading, this article analyzes different procedures for the rites of the ''nine libations,'' including pouring the wine on the ground, mourning sacrifices, offering of cooked and uncooked foods, and others. Based on three Tang and Song works of ritual studies, this article also explores how the textual tradition of ''nine libations'' was inherited, elaborated, and revised in medieval China. This comprehensive exploration of the ''nine libations'' can also help us understand the decline in the practical aspects of these sophisticated rites in late imperial China. |