Miscellaneous Records I

When a feudal lord dies while on a journey and staying in another state’s guesthouse, the ritual of summoning the soul is the same as in his own state. If he dies on the road, they ascend to the left hub of the chariot he rode in and summon his soul with his chariot tassel. His hearse has a canopy (coffin covering), with a curtain made of black silk, a house (coffin hood) made of plain brocade, and thus it proceeds. When it reaches the temple gate, they enter directly without demolishing the wall, and place it in the mourning hall; only outside the temple gate do they remove the canopy. For a great officer or officer who dies on the road, they ascend to the left hub of the chariot he rode and summon his soul with his chariot tassel. If he dies in a guesthouse, the ritual of summoning the soul is the same as at home. For a great officer, they use cloth to make a canopy (coffin covering) and then proceed; after arriving home, they remove the canopy, load the hearse onto a wheeled cart, enter through the gate, and when they reach the eastern steps, they unload it, carry it up the eastern steps, and send it to the mourning hall. For an officer, the canopy (coffin covering) uses a reed mat as the house and a rush mat as the curtain.

In all cases of reporting a death to the ruler, they say: “Your ruler’s minister, so-and-so, has died.” If it is a parent, wife, or eldest son, they say: “Your ruler’s minister, so-and-so’s, so-and-so has died.” When a ruler reports a death to the ruler of another state, he says: “Our unworthy ruler has been unlucky; I dare to inform your attendants.” If it is the wife, he says: “Our unworthy little ruler has been unlucky.” If it is the heir apparent, he says: “Our ruler’s legitimate son, so-and-so, has died.” When a great officer reports a death to a peer in his own state: if the person is of equal rank, he says: “So-and-so has been unlucky”; when reporting to an officer, he also says: “So-and-so has been unlucky”; when reporting to the ruler of another state, he says: “Your ruler’s external minister, our unworthy great officer, so-and-so, has died”; when reporting to a peer, he says: “Our son’s external private [minister], our unworthy great officer, so-and-so, has been unlucky, and has sent so-and-so to report.” When reporting to an officer, he also says: “Our son’s external private [minister], our unworthy great officer, so-and-so, has been unlucky, and has sent so-and-so to report.” When an officer reports a death to a great officer in his own state, he says: “So-and-so has died”; when reporting to an officer, he also says: “So-and-so has died”; when reporting to the ruler of another state, he says: “Your ruler’s external minister, so-and-so, has died”; when reporting to a great officer, he says: “Our son’s external private [minister], so-and-so, has died”; when reporting to an officer, he also says: “Our son’s external private [minister], so-and-so, has died.”

A great officer, while residing in the public guesthouse (the ruler’s lodge), completes the full mourning period; an officer returns home after the first anniversary sacrifice. An officer resides in the public guesthouse; a great officer resides in the lean-to hut; an officer resides in the whitewashed chamber. A great officer, when mourning parents or brothers who were not yet great officers, wears the mourning garments of an officer. An officer, when mourning parents or brothers who have become great officers, wears the mourning garments of an officer. The legitimate son of a great officer wears the mourning garments of a great officer. If the of a great officer is himself a great officer, he wears the mourning garments of a great officer for his parents; his position in the mourning order is determined by age, together with those who are not great officers. If the son of an officer is a great officer, then his parents cannot preside over the funeral; they let their son preside. If there is no son, they establish an heir for him.

When a great officer divines for the grave site and burial date, the officers in charge wear hempen garments, cloth hempen mourning, cloth belts, mourning shoes, and black silk caps (unadorned). The diviner wears a skin cap. If using the yarrow-stalk method, the scribe wears a refined cap and long robe to perform the divination. The person performing the divination wears court robes. At the funeral of a great officer, after the horses have been presented (to pull the hearse), the one presenting the horses wails and leaps, then goes out, wraps the sacrificial food, and reads out the list of gifts. At the funeral of a great officer, the great clan head assists, the lesser clan head charges the tortoise shell, and the diviner scorches it. For summoning the soul, a feudal lord uses the supplementary robe, ceremonial cap, and the cap of the first rank; the wife uses the embroidered garment and the pheasant-patterned robe, with the pheasant-patterned robe lined with white silk gauze. The inner wife (legitimate wife of a high minister) uses the yellow robe, supplementary robe, and white silk gauze. The lower great officer uses the plain robe; the rest are the same as for an officer. When summoning the soul, the west is considered the honored side. A great officer does not use the pheasant-patterned coffin covering; it is hung below the pool (of the hearse). A great officer offers the joint sacrifice to an officer; an officer does not offer the joint sacrifice to a great officer; he offers it to a great officer’s brother. If there is no brother, then the sacrifice follows the order of generations. Even if the grandparents are still alive, this is the same. A woman offers the joint sacrifice to the ancestral aunt to whom her husband offered the joint sacrifice; if there is no ancestral aunt, then she follows the order of generations and offers to the corresponding ancestral aunt. A concubine offers the joint sacrifice to the concubine ancestral aunt; if there is no concubine ancestral aunt, then she follows the order of generations and offers to the corresponding concubine. When a man offers the joint sacrifice to his grandfather, he includes a sacrifice to the grandmother; when a woman offers the joint sacrifice to her grandmother, she does not include a sacrifice to the grandfather. A ruler’s son offers the joint sacrifice to a ruler’s son. When the ruler dies, the heir apparent calls himself “son,” but the protocol for receiving him is still as for a ruler.

(In mourning) If one has the refined cap of the three-year mourning, one exchanges it for the hempen sash of the great meritorious mourning, only the staff and mourning shoes are not changed. If one is in mourning for parents and also wears the great meritorious mourning garments, and then offers the joint sacrifice for a brother who died young, one wears the refined cap. When offering the joint sacrifice to one who died young, one calls him “the bright youth, so-and-so,” not using his personal name, because he has become a spirit. In all cases of those living apart, when first hearing of a brother’s death, it is acceptable to only respond to condolers with weeping. When they first put on the hempen mourning, they let the sash and headband hang loose. If they have not yet put on hempen mourning when rushing to the funeral, and arrive before the host has completed the formal mourning garments: for a distant relative, they complete the formal mourning garments together with the host; for a close relative, they complete the number of days for wearing the hempen sash and headband. When presiding over the funeral of a concubine, one begins wearing the headband from the start until the refined sacrifice and the auspicious sacrifice, all while letting her son preside. Her encoffining and sacrifices are not in the main hall. The ruler does not console (low-ranking) servants or concubines. When the legitimate wife dies, the concubine wears mourning for the legitimate wife’s maternal relatives. If the concubine acts as the legitimate wife (managing internal affairs), she does not wear mourning for the former legitimate wife’s maternal relatives.

When hearing of a brother’s death, for those of great meritorious mourning or closer, when they see the district where the deceased lived, they weep. If one goes to bury a brother but does not arrive in time, and meets the host on the road, one follows him to the grave. In all cases of presiding over a brother’s funeral, even if the relationship is distant, one performs the repose sacrifice.

In all cases during the mourning period, when someone comes to offer condolences, one establishes a position to weep, bow, and leap. When a great officer weeps for a great officer in condolence, he wears a cap and adds the headband; when a great officer participates in the encoffining, he also wears a cap and adds the headband. If a great officer has already changed to the lighter mourning’s hempen sash, then when encountering a brother’s light mourning, he wears a cap and adds the headband.

For the eldest son’s mourning, one holds the staff, but the eldest son’s son (in the funeral) cannot hold the staff and take his position. For the wife’s mourning, if parents are still alive, one does not hold the staff and does not knock the head to the ground. If the mother is still alive, one does not knock the head to the ground. Knocking the head to the ground is done when receiving gifts to acknowledge them. A great officer who leaves a feudal lord (to serve another) does not wear mourning for his former ruler. One who leaves a great officer to serve a feudal lord also does not wear mourning for his former master.

The strings of a mourning cap are connected, to distinguish auspicious from inauspicious. The refined cap of three-year mourning also has connected strings, sewn on the right side. For minor meritorious mourning and below, the strings are sewn on the left side. The strings of the fine hempen mourning cap use bleached hemp threads. For great meritorious mourning and above, the sash hangs loose. Court robes use fifteen-skein cloth; half of that (seven and a half skeins) is fine hempen mourning; when bleached with ash, it becomes glossy cloth.

When feudal lords exchange funeral gifts, they use the rear chariot (the follower’s chariot) and ceremonial caps. The front chariot (ceremonial chariot) and supplementary robes are not used for gifts. The number of funeral chariots (carrying sacrificial offerings) matches the number of vessels. They use coarse cloth for the chariot curtain, with coverings on all four sides, placed at the four corners of the coffin. The chariots carry grain; Master You said: “This is not according to ritual. In funeral sacrifices, only dried meat and meat sauces are used.”

During auspicious sacrifices, one is called “filial son” or “filial grandson”; during inauspicious occasions (funerals), one is called “mourning son” or “mourning grandson.” The mourning garments and the mourning chariot have no distinctions in rank. The large white cap and the black silk cap have no ornaments. The rolled border, when added to the black cap or white cap, then has ornaments. A great officer wears the ceremonial cap when participating in the ruler’s sacrifices, and wears the skin cap when sacrificing to his own ancestors. An officer wears the skin cap when participating in the ruler’s sacrifices, and wears the black cap when sacrificing to his own ancestors. If an officer wears the skin cap to welcome the bride, then it is also permissible for him to wear the skin cap when sacrificing to his own ancestors.

The mortar for pounding the fragrant wine is made of juniper wood, and the pestle is made of parasol wood. The fork for lifting the sacrificial animal from the tripod is made of mulberry wood, three feet long; some say it is five feet long. The pitchfork-shaped implement is made of mulberry wood, three feet long, with its handle and tip smoothed down. The waist sash: for feudal lords and great officers, it is made of five-colored silk threads; for officers, it is made of two colors. The sweet wine is brewed from rice. The jars, vats, baskets, and racks are placed in the gaps between the inner and outer coffins, and then the cover board is put on top. The spirit tablet is buried after the repose sacrifice.

Whenever a woman is involved, her mourning regulations follow the rank of her husband. At the lesser encoffining, the greater encoffining, and the opening of the burial chamber, one bows to all mourners. During the morning and evening wailing, no curtains are set up. If the coffin is not present in the hall, no curtains are set up. If the ruler arrives to condole after the hearse has been loaded, the chief mourner faces east and bows, then moves to the right side of the gate, facing north, and stamps his feet. He then goes out to wait, and after returning, sets up the offering. For Zigao's dressing: a silk-wadded robe and a black robe with a light red border form one set; a plain white robe forms one set; a deerskin cap and robe form one set; a sparrow-cap and robe form one set; a dark cap and robe form one set. Master Zeng said: "This is not according to ritual; one cannot use a woman's garment."

For one who died on a mission for the ruler in a public lodging, the soul-summoning is performed; if he died in a private lodging, it is not performed. A public lodging is the ruler's palace or the lodgings built by the ruler. A private lodging is the private lodgings of a great officer or officer below. For the ruler's mourning, there are seven wailings and stampings; for a great officer, five; the women perform theirs in between the men; for an officer, three; the women all perform theirs in between. For the ruler's dressing: one dragon robe, one dark-colored robe, one court robe, one plain white robe, one light red lower garment, two sparrow-cap robes, one dark cap robe, and one extra robe. Red and green sashes, with an additional large sash placed on top. The ring-shaped sash used in the lesser encoffining is the same for dukes, great officers, and officers. When a duke comes to observe the greater encoffining, the duke ascends the hall, the Shang invoker spreads the mat, and then the encoffining begins. The people of Lu present as gifts: three black and two light red silks, one foot wide, and the length of a full-width cloth.

The condolence visitor stands to the west of the gate, facing east; his assistant stands to his southeast, facing north, with the position of honor to the west, located to the west of the gate. The chief mourner faces east. The ritual assistant, having received the command, says: "The orphaned son, so-and-so, sends me to ask what business you have." The guest says: "Our ruler sends me; how unfortunate is this!" The ritual assistant goes in to report, then comes out and says: "The orphaned son, so-and-so, is waiting." The condolence visitor enters; the host ascends the hall, facing west. The condolence visitor ascends by the western steps, faces east, and conveys the mission: "Our ruler, having heard of your mourning, sends me; how unfortunate is this!" The filial son bows, touching his head to the ground. The condolence visitor descends the hall and returns to his position.

The one performing the ritual of placing jade in the mouth holds the jade disk and conveys the mission: "Our ruler sends me to perform the placing of jade." The ritual assistant goes in to report, then comes out and says: "The orphaned son, so-and-so, is waiting." The one performing the ritual enters, ascends the hall, and conveys the mission. The filial son bows twice, touching his head to the ground. The one performing the ritual sits down, places the jade disk in the southeastern corner of the funeral chamber, on a reed mat; if already buried, then on a rush mat. He then descends, goes out, and returns to his position. The steward, wearing court robes and changing into mourning shoes, ascends by the western steps, faces west, sits down, takes the jade disk, descends by the western steps, and goes east.

The one performing the ritual of presenting robes says: "Our ruler sends me to present robes and coverings." The ritual assistant goes in to report, then comes out and says: "The orphaned son, so-and-so, is waiting." The one performing the ritual holds the cap and robe; holding the collar in his left hand and the waist in his right, he enters, ascends the hall, and conveys the mission: "Our ruler sends me to present robes and coverings." The filial son bows, touching his head to the ground. The robes are placed to the east of the funeral chamber. The one performing the ritual descends, receives the sparrow-cap robe under the eaves inside the gate, conveys the mission, and the filial son bows, touching his head to the ground, as before. He receives the deerskin cap robe in the central courtyard. He receives the court robe from the western steps. He receives the dark-colored robe in the hall, conveys the mission, and the filial son bows, touching his head to the ground, all as before. The one performing the ritual descends, goes out, and returns to his position. Five steward-assistants lift the robes and go east. They descend by the western steps. When lifting the robes, they also face west.

The upper assistant performs the ritual of presenting funeral gifts: holding the scepter, he conveys the mission: "Our ruler sends me to present funeral gifts." The ritual assistant goes in to report, then comes out and replies: "The orphaned son, so-and-so, is waiting." Four bay horses and a large carriage are arrayed in the central courtyard, with the carriage shafts facing north. He holds the scepter and conveys the mission. The guest's attendants pass from below, to the west of the carriage. The filial son bows, touching his head to the ground, sits down, and places the scepter in the southeastern corner of the funeral chamber. The steward takes it and goes east. Whenever a mission is conveyed, it is conveyed facing the funeral chamber, and the filial son bows, touching his head to the ground. He faces west, sits down, and places the gift. The steward takes the jade disk and the scepter, and the steward-assistant takes the robes and coverings, ascending by the western steps, facing west, sitting down to take them, then descending by the western steps. The one performing the ritual of presenting gifts goes out and returns to his position outside the gate.

The superior guest performs the ritual of condolence: "Our ruler, due to the affairs of the ancestral temple sacrifices, cannot personally come to manage the mourning, so he sends me, an old minister, to assist in pulling the hearse ropes." The ritual assistant replies: "The orphaned son, so-and-so, is waiting." The one performing the condolence ritual enters to the right of the gate, and all his assistants follow him, standing to his left, with the east as the position of honor. The clan officer receives the guest, ascends the hall, and receives the command from the ruler; he descends and says: "The orphaned son ventures to decline your condescension in coming, and asks you to return to your position." The guest replies: "Our ruler commands me; I dare not consider myself a guest, and venture to decline." The clan officer returns and reports: "The orphaned son ventures to firmly decline your condescension in coming, and asks you to return to your position." The guest replies: "Our ruler commands me; I dare not consider myself a guest, and venture to firmly decline." The clan officer returns and reports: "The orphaned son ventures to firmly decline your condescension in coming, and asks you to return to your position." The guest replies: "Our ruler commanded me, his envoy; I dare not consider myself a guest, therefore I venture to firmly decline. Since I firmly declined but was not permitted, how dare I not respectfully obey?" The guest stands to the west of the gate, and his assistants stand to his left, with the east as the position of honor. The orphaned son descends by the eastern steps, bows to them, ascends the hall and wails, and with the guest they alternately stamp their feet three times. The guest goes out; he is escorted to the gate, and bows, touching his head to the ground.

If this state has a ruler's mourning, they dare not accept condolences. The outer relatives face south in the chamber; the minor servants spread the mat; the Shang invoker spreads the binding cloths, the single shroud, and the coverings; the officers wash their hands north of the basin. They lift the corpse and move it onto the encoffining garments. When the greater encoffining is complete, the steward reports to the filial son, and the filial son leans against the corpse and stamps his feet. The wife, facing east, sits down, leans against the corpse, rises, and stamps her feet. There are three points in an officer's mourning that are the same as for the Son of Heaven: keeping the torches burning all night, and sending people to pull the hearse, and the hearse traveling on a single path.