Page 12
Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms
Implements and Utensils, Volume 1

General Discussion of Vases and Jars

Among the established ritual vessels Ritual vessels (Liqi): Specialized containers used in ancient China for offerings to ancestors and during state ceremonies, the hu jar holds a primary position. During the Xia and Shang dynasties, these were generally referred to by the collective term zunyi Zunyi: A broad category of sacrificial bronze vessels; "Zun" refers to wine vessels and "Yi" to grain vessels. By the time of the Zhou dynasty, which examined and refined the traditions of the two preceding eras, the regulations for these vessels reached a state of complete preparation.

Thus, for the Zheng and Chang original: Zheng (winter) and Chang (autumn) are two of the four seasonal ancestral sacrifices sacrifices and food offerings, two hu jars are typically used, ranked second in importance to the zunyi vessels and positioned within the gates of the ritual space.

However, although the general function of the jar is consistent, there are distinctions between the square and round forms. In the Banquet Rites and the Great Archery ceremonies, the High Officials and Great Officers Qing-Dafu: High-ranking administrative and military officials in the Zhou feudal hierarchy use round jars. This is because the high status of a Great Officer signifies the "upright and square" original: zhifang; a reference to the Book of Changes, where "squareness" represents the unwavering integrity and moral rectitude required of a minister duty of a subject; hence, the square shape is used to represent this principle. Conversely, for the lower-ranking officers and their retinues who eat together, their humble status suggests that "following orders" is their proper virtue; hence, they use round jars to signify this adaptability.

Turning to the Ritual of Diplomatic Visits original: Pinli, the protocol for state visits between feudal lords, when the bridge is in the north, eight jars are displayed to the south; when the bridge is in the west, six jars are displayed to the east. This is because the East represents the limit of movement and the initiation of interaction, while the South represents the great manifestation of light and civilization. This reflects the time for movement and responding to external things during a diplomatic meeting. Given this, is it not entirely appropriate to arrange the jars in such a manner?