The Liji ("Collection of Treatises on the Rules of Propriety and Ceremonial Usages") is one of four extant collections of ritual matters of the Zhou Dynasty 周. The final redactional work on these books took place during the Han Dynasty 漢. Three of them were incorporated into the Canon of Confucian Classics: Liji, Yili 儀禮, and Zhouli 周禮. The fourth, the Da Dai Liji 大戴禮記, has only survived in fragments and was almost forgotten for centuries. The oldest record of ritual matters is the （禮）記百三十一篇 (Li)Ji in 131 chapters. While the Yili is a pure handbook about rites, the Liji also contains many anecdotes, discourses and dialogs like the passages that can be found in the Confucian Analects (Lunyu 論語). The 49 (46) chapters are thus very heterogenous in content and date of compilation. Some chapters seem to be taken from other books like Xunzi 荀子 and Huainanzi 淮南子. The chapters are compiled in a loose structure and center around different ritual matters of which the mourning rites occupy a crucial place. The first person who studied the Liji was Liu Xiang 劉向, the great Han scholar. Dai De 戴德 and his nephew Dai Sheng 戴聖 are said to have shortened the original 131 chapters to the now existant some forty. The version of the Liji like it has been traded, is the short Dai Sheng version and can therefore also be called Xiao Dai Liji 小戴禮記 ("Records on Ritual Matters by Dai Junior"). From the Da Dai Liji version, only the fragments of 27 chapters are preserved. Two chapters of the Liji were extracted from the corpus and are venerated as two of the Four Books (Sishu 四書): The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong 中庸), and the Great Learning (Daxue 大學). Both books are treated separately. The only English translation of the text is still that of James Legge.	Chapters of the Liji 1.(1.-2.)曲禮上下 Quli A+B Summary of the Rules of Property 2.(3.-4.)檀弓上下Tan Gong A+B 3.(5.)王制 Wangzhi Royal Regulations 4.(6.)月令 Yueling Proceedings of Government in the different Months 5.(7.)曾子問 Zengzi Wen The Questions of Zengzi 6.(8.)文王世子 Wenwang Shizi King Wen, the Heir 7.(9.)禮運 Liyun The Conveyance of Rites 8.(10.)禮器 Liqi Utensils of Rites 9.(11.)郊特牲 Jiaotesheng The Great Border Sacrifice 10.(12.)內則 Neize The Pattern of the Family 11.(13.)玉藻 Yuzao Dresses and Caps worn by rulers 12.(14.)明堂位 Mingtang Wei The Hall of Distinction 13.(15.)喪服小記Sangfu Xiaoji Smaller Records of Mourning Dress 14.(16.)大傳Dazhuan The Great Treatise 15.(17.)少儀Shaoyi Smaller Rules of Conduct 16.(18.)學記Xueji Record of Studies 17.(19.)樂記Yueji Record of Music 18.(20.-21.)雜記上下Zaji A+B Miscellaneous Records 19.(22.)喪大記Sang Daji Greater Record of Mourning Rites, incl. 喪服大記 Sangfu Daji Greater Records of Mourning Dress 20.(23.)祭法Jifa Laws of Sacrifices 21.(24.)祭義Jiyi The Meaning of Sacrifices 22.(25.)祭統Jitong Summary Account of Sacrifices 23.(26.)經解Jingjie Explanations of the Classics 24.(27.)哀公問Aigong Wen The Questions of Duke Ai 25.(28.)仲尼燕居Zhongni Yanju Zhongni (Confucius) at Home at Ease 26.(29.)孔子閒居Kongzi Xianju Confucius at Home at Leisure 27.(30.)坊記Fangji Record of Dykes 28.(31)中庸ZHONGYONG The Doctrine of the Mean 29.(32.)表記Biaoji The Record on Example 30.(33.)緇衣Ziyi The Black Robes 31.(34.)奔喪Bensang Hurrying to Mourning Rites 32.(35.)問喪Wensang Questions about Mourning Rites 33.(36.)服問Fuwen Subjects for Questioning about the Mourning Dress 34.(37.)間傳Jianzhuan Treatise on Subsidiary Points in Mourning Usages 35.(38.)三年問Sannianwen Questions about the Mourning for Three Years 36.(39.)深衣Shenyi The Long Dress in One Piece 37.(40.)投壺 Touhu The Game of Pitch-Pot 38.(41.)儒行Ruxing The Conduct of the Scholar 39.(42)大學DAXUE The Great Learning 40.(43.)冠義Guanyi The Meaning of the Ceremony of Capping 41.(44.)昏（＝婚）義 Hunyi The Meaning of the Marriage Ceremony 42.(45.)鄉飲酒義Xiang Yinjiu Yi The Meaning of the Drinking Festivity in the Districts 43.(46.)射義 Sheyi The Meaning of the Ceremony of Archery 44.(47.)燕義 Yanyi The Meaning of the Banquet 45.(48.)聘義 Pingyi The Meaning of the Interchange of Missions Between Different Courts 46.(49.)喪服四制Sangfu Sizhi The Four Principles Underlying the Dress of Mourning
	Exemplarious translation: ２．士昏(＝婚)禮 昏禮：下達，納采，用雁。主人筵于戶西，西上，右几。使者玄端至，擯者出 請事，入告。主人如賓服，迎于門外，再拜，賓不答拜。揖入。至于廟門， 揖入；三揖，至于階，三讓。主人以賓升，西面。賓升西階，當阿，東面致命。 主人阼階上北面再拜；授于楹間，南面。賓降，出。主人降，授老雁。擯者出請 ，賓執雁，請問名，主人許。賓入授，如初禮。 Chapter 3: The Marriage of an ordinary officer (1) In making known his intentions to the father of the girl, the father of the young man sends a wild goose. The girl's father spreads a mat for the ancestral spirit to the west of the door of the room in the ancestral temple, the upper end of it being to the west; and at the right end of the mat he places a body-rest. When the messenger with the present arrives, dressed in dark square-clothes, the usher goes out to ask his business, and then enters and announces it. The host, dressed like the messenger, goes to meet him outside the door, and bows twice, the messenger not bowing in reply. Then the host invites him with a salute to enter. When they come to the temple gate, the host invites the guest with a salute to enter. In their progress up the court there are the three customary salutes; and when they come to the steps they yield precedence three times. The host precedes the guest, going up the eastern steps, and faces westward, while the guest goes up the west steps, and, standing under the main beam of the hall, delivers his message, the host boing twice at the top of the eastern steps, with his face north. The host, standing between the pillars, and facing south, receives the goose. Thereafter the visitor descends the steps and leaves. The host also descends, and hands the goose to his head servant. When the messenger from the father arrives, the usher goes out and holding a goose in his hands, requests permission to be allowed to ask the girl's name, and the host, through the usher, consents. The visitor then enters and hands over the present to the host, observing the ceremonial already described. １１．喪服 喪服：斬衰裳，苴絰、杖、絞帶，冠繩纓，菅屨者，＜傳＞曰：斬者何﹖不緝也 。苴絰者，麻之有蕡者也... 父，＜傳＞曰：陘鬫韞H斬衰也﹖父，至尊也。 諸侯為天子，＜傳＞曰：天子，至尊也。 君，＜傳＞曰：君，至尊也。 父為長子，＜傳＞曰：何以三年也﹖正體於上，又乃將所咫]。庶子不得為長子三年，不繼祖也。 為人後者。＜傳＞曰：何以三年也﹖受重者，必以尊服服之。何如而可為之後﹖ 同宗則可為之後。何如而可以為人後﹖支子可也。為所後者之祖父母、妻，妻之 父母、昆弟，昆弟之子，若子。 妻為夫，＜傳＞曰：夫，至尊也。 妾為君，＜傳＞曰：君，至尊也... 父在為母，＜傳＞曰：何以期也﹖屈也。至尊在，不敢伸其私尊也。父必三年然 後娶，達子之志也。 妻，＜傳＞曰：為妻何以期也﹖妻，至親也... 父卒，繼母嫁，從；為之服，報。＜傳＞曰：何以期也﹖貴終也。 Chapter 22: Mourning garments (1) [The three year's untrimmed mourning] This mourning dress consists of an untrimmed sackcloth coat and skirt, fillets of the female nettle hemp, a staff, a twisted girdle, a hat whose hat-string is of cord, and rush shoes. <The Commentary> says: Why untrimmed? Because it is not hemmed. The hempen fillet is made from the plant when it has sprouted a second time, [and thus is ill-favoured.]... [This mourning is worn for] a father, <The Commentary> says: Why? Because the father is the most honourable person [in the familiy]. The feudal lords wear it for the Son of Heaven, <The Commentary> says: He is the most honourable person [in the empire]. [The ministers] wear it for their ruler, <The Commentary> says: The ruler is the most honourable person [in his domain]. A father wears it for his oldest son, <The Commentary> says: Why does he have to mourn for three years? Because he is the proper representative of those who have preceded him in the line. It also lays emphasis on what is involved in the [father's] transmission [of the patriarchal right to his posterity]. A son other than the oldest one does not have this three year's [mourning worn] for him, as he does not succeed his ancestors. For the person whom he has adopted to succeed him, <The Commentary> says: Why does he have to mourn for three years? This is because he has received a place in the succession, and so is entitled to have the deepest grade of mourning worn for him. What is the qualification that one must possess to be thus adopted? He must be in the same family line as the man himself. Who may be called on to take up the succession to another? Anyone but the direct heir. The adopted heir wears mourning for the grandparents of the man whom he succeeds, and for his wife, his wife's father, mother, and brothers, and the children of these last. In all these cases he acts as if he were the regular son. A wife wears this mourning for her husband, <The Commentary> says: The husband is the most honourable person [in the marital relationship]. A concubine wears it for her lord and master, <The Commentary> says: The lord is the most honourable person [in this relationship]... [The trimmed mourning with the staff] While the father is still alive this mourning is assumed on the death of the mother, <The Commentary> says: Why to wear this mourning the time [of three years]? As a sign of inferiority. While the most honourable person [in the marriage relationship] is still alive, the son does not dare to exhibit to the full the respect he feels privately for his mother. The father shall abstain from taking another wife for three years, however, as an indication that he appreciates the feelings of his son in this matter. A husband wears it for his wife [three years long], <The Commentary> says: Because the wife's relationship to him is the closest possible... If the father have died, and his stepmother have married again, [the children who] follow her to her new home wear this mourning for her when she dies, as an act of grace, <The Commentary> says: Why? In acknowledgement of her love for them to the end. Translated by John Steele 1917