Although Book 3 of the Analects is dominated by the subject of rites, it does also touch on a few other themes, most notably leadership and the glories of ancient Chinese culture. Click on the links below for the full story. Continue reading Analects Book 3: Resources →

Confucius never defines exactly what he means by the rites in Book 3 of the Analects. Instead, he spends most of his energy on criticizing others, most notably members of the Three Families, for their violations of the unwritten rules governing important ritual ceremonies that had presumably existed since at least the beginnings of the Zhou dynasty in the early 11th century and probably even before that. Continue reading Analects Book 3: fighting for the rites →