禮樂
Propriety and Music
225.
夫人之所以貴於禽獸者，以有禮也。
（卷三十三 晏子）
225.
The difference between human beings and animals is that human beings follow propriety.
Scroll 33: Yan Zi
【白話】
人之所以比禽獸尊貴，是因為人能奉行禮義。
226.
故禮之教化也微，其正正作止邪於未形，使人日徙善遠罪而不自知也，是以先王隆之也。《易》曰：「君子慎始。差若毫釐，謬以千里。」此之謂也。隆，謂尊盛之也。始，謂其微時也。
（卷七 禮記）
226.
The influence of propriety works very subtly. It prevents immoral conducts from developing and enables people to automatically stay away from malice and move toward virtuousness day by day without being aware of it. Hence, the kings from ancient times venerated the transforming influence that propriety can bring. The book of Yi Jing said: “A superior person always pays attention to the beginning of any development. If there is a slight deviation or error in the beginning, the end result will differ greatly.” Such is the implication of the influence of propriety.
Scroll 7: Li Ji
【註釋】
①隆：崇尚、尊崇。
②謬：錯誤、差錯。
【白話】
禮的教化作用是潛移默化的，它防範邪惡於未形成前，能讓人在不知不覺中天天向善德靠近而遠離惡行，因此，先王都尊崇禮的教化作用。《周易》說：「君子重視事物的開頭。開頭若有一絲一毫的偏差，結果會造成千里之遠的錯誤。」說的就是這個意思
227.
道德仁義，非禮不成；教訓正俗，非禮不備；分爭辨訟，非禮不決；君臣上下，父子兄弟，非禮不定；宦學事師，非禮不親；班朝治軍，蒞官行法，非禮威嚴不行；禱祠祭祀，供給鬼神，非禮不誠不莊。班，次也。蒞，臨也。莊，敬也。
（卷七 禮記）
227.
Without propriety, acts of benevolence, righteousness, and virtues cannot be realized. Using teachings that contain no propriety to impart sagely values to the society will inevitably create discrepancies. Without propriety, quarrels and debates about what is right or wrong cannot be resolved fairly. Further, the roles and relationship played by leaders and subordinates, parents and children, as well as among siblings cannot be determined without the stipulation of propriety. In learning how to run a good administration or other areas of study, failing to observe propriety will make teachers slack in their teachings and students inattentive toward their studies. It will be difficult to foster a close bond between teachers and students. Be it the drawing of tables of government ranks or the organization of the army, the appointment of officials to task or the execution of laws: if they are not done according to the proper protocol, they will lose their dignity and the confidence of the people. Whether it is a regular or special memorial service for the deceased, or a ceremony for making offerings to the gods and spirits, if these were not done in accordance to proper rites and rituals, the results will only reveal our insincerity as the ceremony will fail to be solemn and respectful.
Scroll 7: Li Ji
【註釋】
①宦學：宦，學習仕宦之學，提高行政能力。學，學習詩、書、射等六藝。
②班朝：在朝廷中按照職位品級以定位次儀式。
③蒞官：到職、居官。
④禱祠祭祀：禱，有所祈求的祭祀。祠，酬謝神恩的祭祀。祭祀，祭祀神明、祖先的泛稱。
【白話】
仁義道德，不藉助禮在細微曲折之間，體現出的等級秩序及具體的行為規範，就不能實現；欲通過身教和言教來移風易俗，扶正去邪，若不以禮作根本標準，就不免要顧此失彼，而無法周到完備；分爭曲直，辨訟是非，若不以禮作準繩，就無法做出正確判斷；君臣、上下、父子、兄弟之間，沒有禮就無法定名位、盡本分；無論是學習從政，還是學習其他東西，不根據禮，師生之間就不可能使教者認真、學者專心而產生親近之情；朝班的整肅、軍隊的治理、官員的就職、法令的頒行，沒有禮就不能彰顯威嚴；祈禱酬謝神靈，祭祀供養祖先，沒有禮就不能體現誠敬莊嚴。
228.
夫禮者，所以定親疏，決嫌疑，別同異，明是非也。
（卷七 禮記）
228.
The functions of propriety include: Defining close and distant relationships, clarifying doubts, categorizing subject-matters, and vindicating right and wrong.
Scroll 7: Li Ji
【註釋】
①嫌疑：易於混淆及是非難辨的事理。
【白話】
禮的作用，就是用來確定親疏遠近不同身分形式之尺度，斷定疑難事情的恰當做法，分別尊卑地位的同異，明辨是非對錯。如此一來，社會才有秩序、人人才有規矩。
229.
君子有禮，則外諧而內無怨。
（卷七 禮記）
229.
A superior person whose daily life conforms to the standards of propriety will be able to coexist harmoniously with all people and matters. His mind and heart is always serene without resentment.
Scroll 7: Li Ji
【白話】
君子做到以禮治身，便能與一切人事物和諧共處，而內心平和毫無怨恨。
230.
富貴而知好禮，則不驕不淫；貧賤而知好禮，則志不懾。懾，猶怯惑。
（卷七 禮記）
230.
A rich and noble man who understands propriety is neither arrogant nor licentious. A poor and lowly person who understands propriety is neither fearful nor skeptical about his aspirations.
Scroll 7: Li Ji
【白話】
富貴的人若樂於學禮守禮，就能做到不傲慢、不放縱；貧賤的人如樂於學禮守禮，就能在任何場合都心志不惑、不怯懦畏懼。
231.
昏禮者，將合二姓之好，上以事宗廟，而下以繼後世也。故君子重之。男女有別，而後夫婦有義；夫婦有義，而後父子有親；父子有親，而後君臣有正。故曰：婚禮者，禮之本也。
（卷七 禮記）
231.
The propriety of marriage unites two families with different surnames, to commemorate the ancestors with respects and offerings, and produce offspring to carry on the family name and the teachings of the forefathers. Therefore, a superior person would value marriage as an important event. With a man and a woman playing different roles comes a righteous commitment between a husband and a wife. With a righteous commitment between a husband and a wife comes a filial closeness between parents and children. With parents and children displaying a filial closeness comes a rightful relationship between a superior and his subordinates. Hence, the propriety of marriage is the foundation of all proprieties.
Scroll 7: Li Ji
【註釋】
①昏：通「婚」。婚姻。
【白話】
婚禮，是締結兩個不同姓氏的家族交好。對上來說，可以奉事宗廟祭祀祖先；對下來說，可以傳宗接代、承繼香火。所以君子十分重視婚禮。男女各有分工且各盡其責，則夫婦之間才有道義；夫婦間的道義建立起來了，給後代做了榜樣，然後父子才能親愛和睦；父子之間有了親愛，然後君臣才能各正本位。因此說，婚禮是禮的根本。
232.
故朝覲之禮，所以明君臣之義也；聘問之禮，所以使諸侯相尊敬也；喪祭之禮，所以明臣子之恩也；鄉飲酒之禮，所以明長幼之序也；婚姻之禮，所以明男女之別也。夫禮禁亂之所由生，猶防止水之所自來也。故以舊防為無所用而壞之者，必有水敗；以舊禮為無所用而去之者，必有亂患。故婚姻之禮廢，則夫婦之道苦，而淫僻之罪多矣；鄉飲酒之禮廢，則長幼之序失，而鬥爭之獄繁矣；喪祭之禮廢，則臣子之恩薄，而背死忘生者眾矣；聘覲之禮廢，則君臣之位失，而背叛侵陵之敗起矣。苦，謂不至不答之屬。
（卷七 禮記）
232.
The protocol of a court audience before the ruler serves to exemplify the rightful relationship between the ruler and his subordinates. The protocol of diplomatic envoys serves to foster mutual respect among the dukes of neighboring states. The rites and rituals of funeral and memorial services serve to convey gratitude toward one’s superior or parents. The propriety of wine-drinking serves as a folk custom to let one understand the order between the older and the younger generations. The propriety of marriage serves to show the different roles played by husband and wife. Propriety, thus, prevent chaos just as embankments prevent floods. If we destroy an old embankment that we deemed useless, the inevitable outcome will be a flood. Similarly, if we abolish traditional propriety that we deemed outdated, disasters and chaos will eventually follow. Likewise, if we abolish the propriety of marriage, people will stop taking marital duties seriously and marital life will suffer as a result. This will lead to an increase in crimes related to sexual perversions. If we abolish the propriety of wine-drinking as a folk custom, the order and status of the young and old will be lost. This will lead to an increase in crimes related to disputes and fightings. If we abolish the rites and rituals of funeral and memorial services, government officials and children will become ungrateful toward their superiors and parents. This will lead to more people to rebel against the teachings of their ancestors and a lack of gratefulness and loyalty toward the living. If we abolish the protocol of diplomatic envoys, or the protocol of court audiences before the ruler, the orderly relationship between the ruler and his officials will be lost. This will lead to chaos in the wake of treason, and the invasion of neighboring states.
Scroll 7: Li Ji
【註釋】
①朝覲之禮：諸侯謁見天子之禮。
②聘問之禮：古代諸侯之間，互派使者做友好訪問的禮節。
③鄉飲酒之禮：指鄉州鄰里之間定期的聚會宴飲。此禮以敬老尊賢為主，由最高層的鄉大夫（主持鄉政者）宴請貢於朝廷的賢良之士；較低層的是鄉人鄰里之間的歡聚。聚會前先祭祀鬼神，然後按照儀式飲宴，透過行「鄉飲酒禮」養成謙讓和莊敬的人生態度。
【白話】
所以設朝覲之禮，是用來表明君臣大義；設聘問之禮，是為了使諸侯互相尊敬；設喪祭之禮，是用以表達為臣、為子的感恩之情；鄉飲酒之禮，是用以明確長輩和晚輩間的秩序；婚姻之禮，是用以辨明男子和女子在家中職責分工的。禮節，能禁止混亂發生的根源，就像堤防能阻止洪水氾濫一樣。所以，認為古老的堤防沒有用處而毀壞它，一定會遭遇水災；認為古老的禮儀沒有用處而廢棄它，一定會有禍亂發生。因此，婚姻之禮被廢除，夫婦應盡的道義衰微，相處就會痛苦，而淫亂的罪行便會增多；鄉飲酒之禮被廢止，長幼的順序喪失，爭鬥的刑事案件就會頻繁發生；喪祭之禮被廢棄，為人臣、為人子者的恩義淡薄，而背逆祖先、不忠不孝的人就會變多；聘問之禮和朝覲之禮被廢棄，則將失去君臣各自應有身分和地位，而反叛君主、侵凌鄰國的禍亂就會隨之產生。
233.
祭不欲數（ㄕㄨㄛˋ），數則煩，煩則不敬。祭不欲疏，疏則怠，怠則忘。
（卷七 禮記）
233.
Paying respect and making offerings to our ancestors cannot be done too frequently since we will get tired of the rituals and end up becoming disrespectful toward them. However, it should not be performed too infrequently either since this will cause us to become too slack and we may gradually forget our ancestors.
Scroll 7: Li Ji
【註釋】
① 數：屢次。
【白話】
祭祀不可太頻繁，太頻繁就會產生厭煩情緒，一旦有了厭煩情緒就會不恭敬。祭祀也不可太稀疏，太稀疏就會使人怠慢，怠慢了就會漸漸忘卻祖先。
234.
凡音者，生人心者也。情動於中，故形於聲。聲成文，謂之音。是故治世之音，安以樂，其政和；亂世之音，怨以怒，其政乖；亡國之音，哀以思，其民困。
（卷七 禮記）
234.
Music originates from the heart. When the inner emotion is stirred and then displayed, a sound is produced. Sounds combine to form melodies and this is what we call “music”. During times of peace and prosperity, the music played is serene and joyful because the political situation has been tolerant and harmonious. On the other hand, music played in tumultuous times is filled with anger because the government has violated the law of nature and the common aspiration of the people. When a country perishes, the music played is sorrowful and melancholic because people have been left in desolation.
Scroll 7: Li Ji
【註釋】
①乖：反常、謬誤。
【白話】
凡音樂的緣起，皆出於人心。感情在內心深處萌動之後，表現於外的就是發聲。聲成曲調，便成為音樂。因此太平盛世的音樂，安詳而愉快，因為政治寬厚和諧；亂世的音樂，怨嘆且忿怒，因為政令違背天理民心；亡國的音樂，悲哀而愁思，因為百姓處境困苦。
235.
音聲之道，與政通矣。言八音和否隨政。宮為君，商為臣，角（ㄐㄩㄝˊ）為民，徵為事，羽為物。五者不亂，則無怠（本書怠作怗）懘（ㄔˋ）之音矣。五者，君、臣、民、事、物也。凡聲濁者尊，清者卑。怠懘，弊敗不和之貌也。宮亂則荒，其君驕。商亂則陂（ㄅㄧˋ），其臣壞。角亂則憂，其民怨。徵亂則哀，其事勤。羽亂則危，其財匱。五者皆亂，迭相陵，謂之慢。如此則國之滅亡無日矣。君、臣、民、事、物，其道亂，則其音應而亂也。
（卷七 禮記）
235.
The inner spirit of music is interconnected with politics. In the Chinese pentatonic scale, gong (宮) symbolizes the ruler; shang (商) symbolizes government officials; jue (角) symbolizes the people, zhi (徵) symbolizes incidents; yu (羽) symbolizes material things. If the five modes are harmonious, discordant sounds will not be heard. However, if the gong mode is disorderly, the music will appear scattered without any central theme. This reflects the arrogance of the ruler and the departure of wise government officials. If the shang mode is disorderly, music will sound askew. This reflects the moral decadence of government officials. If the jue mode is disorderly, the music will be filled with worries reflecting a tyrannical government and the resentment of the people. If the zhi mode is disorderly, music will sound extremely sad. This reflects the never-ending exploitation of farm labor and the suffering of the people. If the yu mode is disorderly, music will sound of danger and oppression reflecting poverty and the lack of material wealth among the people. If all five musical modes are disorderly, crashing onto each other, this music is termed as “conceited music”—music without any regularity. Once music has reached this point, a country will be destroyed in no time.
Scroll 7: Li Ji
【註釋】
①怠懘：當作「怗懘」，指音調不和諧。懘，不流暢、不和諧。
②陂：偏頗，邪僻不正。 ③相陵：亦作「相凌」，相互侵擾。
【白話】
音樂的內在精神，是與政治相通的。五音中的「宮」代表君主，「商」代表臣子，「角」代表人民，「徵」代表各種事情，「羽」代表器物。君、臣、民、事、物五者能諧和不亂，就不會有敗壞不和的聲音出現。假如宮音一亂音樂就放散而無中心，反映君主驕傲、剛愎自用而賢人遠離。商音一亂音樂就會傾斜不正，反映臣子官品敗壞而利用國家制度謀利。角音一亂音樂就會充滿憂愁，反映政令苛刻而百姓哀怨。徵音一亂音樂就會哀苦，反映徭役不休而百姓痛苦。羽音一亂音樂就會危急不安，反映賦稅沉重而百姓財用匱乏。如果五音全亂，則上下衝突、互相侵犯，稱為「慢音」，表示國政傲慢又怠惰。如此一來，國家滅亡的時間就不遠了。因此，真正的明君，為了替百姓謀福，一定會從音樂中體會民情，虛心調整政事。
236.
亂世之樂，為木革之聲，則若雷，為金石之聲，則若霆，為絲竹歌舞之聲，則若譟。譟，叫。以此駭心氣動耳目搖蕩生，則可矣，生，性。以此為樂（ㄩㄝˋ），則不樂（ㄌㄜˋ）。不樂，不和。故樂（ㄩㄝˋ）愈侈，而民愈鬱，侈，淫也。鬱，怨也。國愈亂，主愈卑，則亦失樂之情矣。
（卷三十九 呂氏春秋）
236.
During tumultuous times, music played on wooden and leather instruments produces sounds that are like roaring thunder; music played on copper and stone instruments produces sounds that are furious and shocking; light dance music played on bamboo or silk instruments produces sounds that are like cawing outcries. These types of loud music can trouble people’s mind, deafen ears and sway people to become licentious but they cannot bring happiness to people. Therefore, as music becomes more and more insolent, it will precipitate a greater incidence of depression, more chaos, and more disrespect for the ruler. Subsequently, music loses its original meaning and purpose.
Scroll 39: Lü Shi Chun Qiu
【白話】
亂世的音樂，演奏木製、革製樂器的聲音就像打雷，演奏銅製、石製樂器的聲音就像霹靂，演奏絲竹樂器的歌舞就像大嚷大叫。用這樣的聲音來擾人精神，震動耳目，放蕩性情，倒是可以辦得到；但用來做為音樂演奏，那就不能給人帶來和樂。所以音樂愈是奢華放縱，人民愈是抑鬱，國家就愈混亂，君主的地位就愈卑下，這樣也就失去音樂的本來意義了。
237.
樂由中出，和在心也。禮自外作。敬在貌也。大樂必易，大禮必簡。易、簡，若於清廟大饗然也。
（卷七 禮記）
237.
Music comes from the heart, and propriety set a standard for a person's outward behavior. Grand music must be amiable and grand ceremonies must be simple and modest.
Scroll 7: Li Ji
【白話】
樂由內心深處發出，禮則體現於外在行為。偉大的音樂必定是平易近人的，莊嚴的禮儀必定是簡樸實在的。
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