When the time comes to mow the grass and collect firewood, the light punishment can be used. Before the punishment was used, the common people did not dare to cut the grass and collect firewood. Therefore, the significance of the two sacrifices is very important, and it involves the foundation of governing the country, and it cannot be ignored.

It is the business of the monarch to understand the righteousness of the feast and taste, and it is the business of the courtiers to do the good deeds of the lord and the taste. If you don't understand the meaning of the recklessness and taste, you will be deficient as a monarch; If you can't do a good job of sacrificing and tasting, you will be deficient as a courtier. The righteousness mentioned here is used to realize one's own aspirations and is an expression of various virtues.

Therefore, a person with great virtue will have a strong sense of homesickness, and a person with a strong sense of family will have a thorough understanding of the meaning of the sacrifice, and a person who has a thorough understanding of the meaning will be respectful when he is sacrificing. The monarch is respectful to the sacrifices, so who dares to be disrespectful among the people of the country? Therefore, when a gentleman treats sacrifices, he must participate in person. It is also okay to have someone else replace you when there are special circumstances. Although it is a substitute, the effect is no different from that of the monarch in person, because the monarch is well aware of the meaning of sacrifice. A person with shallow morals is absent-minded about the sacrifice and has doubts about the meaning of the sacrifice, and in such a situation it is impossible for him to ask God for a sacrifice and ask him to be respectful. If you can't be respectful by sacrificing your ancestors, what qualifications do you have to be your parents!

The tripod used as a sacrificial vessel is often marked with inscriptions. The so-called inscription is to first praise the merits of the ancestors, and then attach their own names below, and attach their names below to praise the virtues of the ancestors, and make them clearly passed on to future generations. Those who are ancestors do not have merit, and there is no one who is without disadvantages. The requirement of the inscription is to praise only its advantages and cover up its shortcomings. This kind of filial piety can only be done by sages. To make an inscription is to discuss the virtues, merits, merits, honors and honors of one's ancestors, publish them in the world, consider the main points, and then engrave them on the sacrificial vessels, and at the same time attach their own names to worship the ancestors.

Praise the ancestors and show their filial piety; Attaching one's name below indicates that one will imitate them; It is a clear metaphor for future generations, and it means the education of future generations. From this point of view, making inscriptions is really a triple win. Therefore, when a gentleman looks at the inscription, he praises not only the virtues of the ancestors praised in the inscription, but also the matter of making the inscription itself, and the person who made the inscription, whose discernment is sufficient to see the virtues of his ancestors, whose benevolence is sufficient to enable him to decide the matter decisively, and whose wisdom is sufficient to enable him and his descendants to benefit from this matter. Being smart and not boasting is really humble.

Therefore, the Ding of the Wei Guo Doctor Kong Kui is engraved with the following inscription: In June Dinghai, Wei Zhuang Gong came to the Taimiao to sacrifice. Zhuang Gong said: Uncle! Your distant ancestor Uncle Zhuang assisted my distant ancestor Chenggong. Cheng Gong once ordered Uncle Zhuang to flee to Chu with him, and was imprisoned in Beijing with Cheng Gong. , Uncle Zhuang's merits will flow to future generations, and he will bless my ancestor to return to China. Xiangong then ordered Uncle Cheng to inherit the career of his ancestor Uncle Zhuang and be loyal to the king. Your father's documents, and inherited the will of your ancestors, as an example for hundreds of officials, always thinking about how to govern the country well.

He is in charge of state affairs, and he does not dare to slack off day and night, and the common people praise him for his good looks. Zhuang Gong said again: Uncle, I will give you this inscription now, you must inherit your father's spirit and serve the country with loyalty like him. Kong Kui then bowed down and prostrated his head and said, "I will praise the virtues of my ancestors by exalting the king's life, and strive to fulfill your high hopes." All of this, I have to make it available on the Yi (yí) tripod of the 烝 (zhēng) sacrifice. This is the inscription on the Yi Ding of the Wei Guo Kong Kui. It reflects the ancient gentleman who discussed the virtues of his ancestors and made them known to future generations.

Through the inscriptions, you can attach your name to the following, and you can celebrate the importance of the deeds of your ancestors in the life of the country. Kong Kui's inscription is just one example. The descendants who are responsible for guarding the shrine of the temple, if their ancestors do not have a little bit and brag indiscriminately, they will be deceived at that time; If there is merit and does not know it, then it is foolish; It would be insensitiveness to know and not to pass on to future generations. Any one of these three is a shame for the gentleman.

In the past, the Duke of Zhou established immortal feats for the consolidation of the world of the Zhou Dynasty. Immortal feats were established. After the death of the Duke of Zhou, King Cheng of Zhou and King Kang of Zhou remembered the immortal exploits of Duke Zhou, and planned to respect the State of Lu among the princes, so the State of Lu could be given to raise the standard of sacrifice, specifically, that is, in the suburbs, you can sacrifice to the sky, and you can use the ceremony to worship the Duke of Zhou in the Taimiao. When the Zhou Gong was sacrificed with the ceremony, the "Qing Temple" sung by the musicians in the hall, the "Elephant" played by the pipe band under the hall, the "Dawu" dance danced by the dancers holding red shields and jade axe locks, and the "Daxia" dance danced by the Eight Columns Dance Team, all of which can only be used by the Son of Heaven.

In order to praise Zhou Gong, he gave this set of music and dance to Lu Guo. The descendants of the Duke of Zhou inherited this set of things, which are still used today, to praise the virtues of the Duke of Zhou, and at the same time to improve the status of the Lu State among the princes.

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(26) Commentary

Confucius said: When you enter a country, you only need to look at the customs there, and you can know how the country's indoctrination is. If the people there are gentle, docile, simple and loyal, it is the result of the teaching of the Book of Songs; If it is a matter of ancient times, it is the "Book of Shang" that has taken over; If it is broad-minded and open-minded, it is the succession of the "Book of Music"; If it is clean and quiet, and the insight is subtle, it is the result of the teaching of the I Ching; If it is dignified and respectful, it is the result of the teaching of the Book of Rites; If it is good at rhetoric and narration, it is the result of the teaching of "Spring and Autumn".