The Commentary on Intervals

Why does the mourner for the father (Zhan Cui) use the rough hemp? "Ju" () refers to a coarse, unkempt appearance, signifying that the inner grief manifests in the outward expression. For Zhan Cui mourning garments, the face appears withered like the rough hemp; for Qi Cui mourning garments, the face appears coarse like the female hemp (xi ma). For Da Gong mourning garments, the facial expression is dull and stagnant like still water; for Xiao Gong and Si Ma mourning garments, the countenance can remain normal. This is the manifestation of grief in the body and face.

The weeping for Zhan Cui is like a single breath that goes out and cannot return; the weeping for Qi Cui is like a breath that goes out and can still return; the weeping for Da Gong must be drawn out in three twists before trailing into a long, lingering sound; the weeping for Xiao Gong and Si Ma need only have a sorrowful quality. This is the manifestation of grief in the voice.

For Zhan Cui mourning garments, one only utters "wei" () in response to others' words, without replying; for Qi Cui mourning garments, one may reply but does not initiate speech; for Da Gong mourning garments, one may speak but does not discuss affairs; for Xiao Gong and Si Ma mourning garments, one may discuss affairs but does not touch on matters of pleasure. This is the manifestation of grief in speech.

For Zhan Cui mourning garments, one does not eat for three days; for Qi Cui mourning garments, one does not eat for two days; for Da Gong mourning garments, one skips three meals; for Xiao Gong and Si Ma mourning garments, one skips two meals; for a scholar-official who participates in encoffining, one skips one meal. Therefore, for the mourning of parents, after encoffining one drinks gruel, using one yi () of rice in the morning and one yi of rice in the evening; for Qi Cui mourning, one eats coarse grains and drinks water, refraining from vegetables and fruits; for Da Gong mourning, one does not eat meat sauces or vinegar sauces; for Xiao Gong and Si Ma mourning, one does not drink sweet wine. This is the manifestation of grief in food and drink.

For the mourning of parents, after the Yu sacrifice and the Zu Cui ceremony, one eats coarse grains and drinks water, refraining from vegetables and fruits; after one full year, at the Xiao Xiang sacrifice, one may eat vegetables and fruits; after another full year, at the Da Xiang sacrifice, one may eat meat sauces and vinegar sauces; after an additional month, at the Dan sacrifice, after the Dan sacrifice one may drink sweet wine. Those who begin to drink wine should first drink sweet wine. Those who begin to eat meat should first eat dried meat.

For the mourning of parents, one dwells in a makeshift shed leaning against the wall, sleeps on a straw mat, uses a clod of earth as a pillow, and does not remove the hemp sash or hemp cap; for Qi Cui mourning, one dwells in a room plastered with white clay, sleeps on a trimmed rush mat with unhemmed edges; for Da Gong mourning, one sleeps on a mat; for Xiao Gong and Si Ma mourning, one may sleep on a bed. This is the manifestation of grief in dwelling and resting.

For the mourning of parents, after the Yu sacrifice and the Zu Cui ceremony, one may erect pillars and roof beams, trim the screen, and sleep on a trimmed rush mat with unhemmed edges; after one full year, at the Xiao Xiang sacrifice, one dwells in a room plastered with white clay and sleeps on a mat; after another full year, at the Da Xiang sacrifice, one returns to the original bedchamber; after an additional month, at the Dan sacrifice, after the Dan sacrifice one may sleep on a bed.

Zhan Cui mourning garments use three-sheng () cloth; Qi Cui mourning garments use four-sheng, five-sheng, or six-sheng cloth; Da Gong mourning garments use seven-sheng, eight-sheng, or nine-sheng cloth; Xiao Gong mourning garments use ten-sheng, eleven-sheng, or twelve-sheng cloth; Si Ma mourning garments use fifteen-sheng cloth reduced by half, where the hemp threads are processed but the cloth is not—this is called Si (). This is the manifestation of grief in garments.

Zhan Cui mourning garments use three-sheng cloth; after the Yu sacrifice and the Zu Cui ceremony, one receives mourning garments made of six-sheng finished cloth, and the cap uses seven-sheng cloth. For mourning the mother with Qi Cui, one uses four-sheng cloth; one receives mourning garments made of seven-sheng finished cloth, and the cap uses eight-sheng cloth. One removes the hemp sash and wears a kudzu vine sash (ge dai), which is triple-twisted. After one full year, at the Xiao Xiang sacrifice, one wears a cap made of boiled and whitened silk (lian), with a light red border; the sash around the waist is not removed. Men remove the head sash; women remove the waist sash. Why do men remove the head sash? Why do women remove the waist sash? Men value the head garments; women value the sash. Those who remove mourning garments first remove the important part; those who change mourning garments change the lighter part. After another full year, at the Da Xiang sacrifice, one wears white linen garments. After an additional month, at the Dan sacrifice, after the Dan sacrifice one wears fine hemp garments, and there is nothing that cannot be worn.

What does it mean to change mourning garments? It means to change the lighter mourning garments. For Zhan Cui mourning garments, after the Yu sacrifice and the Zu Cui ceremony, when encountering Qi Cui mourning, the lighter mourning is absorbed into the heavier, and the heavier mourning remains alone. After the Lian sacrifice, when encountering Da Gong mourning, hemp and kudzu vine are used together. For Qi Cui mourning garments, after the Yu sacrifice and the Zu Cui ceremony, when encountering Da Gong mourning, hemp and kudzu vine are worn simultaneously. The kudzu vine sash of Zhan Cui is of the same thickness as the hemp sash of Qi Cui; the kudzu vine sash of Qi Cui is of the same thickness as the hemp sash of Da Gong; the kudzu vine sash of Da Gong is of the same thickness as the hemp sash of Xiao Gong; the kudzu vine sash of Xiao Gong is of the same thickness as the hemp sash of Si Ma. When sashes are of the same thickness, they are worn simultaneously. When worn simultaneously, one must wear the heavier mourning and change the lighter mourning.