Welcome to visit ACADEMIC MONTHLY,Today is

Volume 57 Issue 9
October 2025
Article Contents

Citation: QIN Pengfei. A Sociological Analysis Centered on the Sacred Rituals of Confucian Thought[J]. Academic Monthly, 2025, 57(9): 135-147. shu

A Sociological Analysis Centered on the Sacred Rituals of Confucian Thought

  • Ritual thought is a crucial component of Confucian doctrines, generally regarded as a behavioral norm that carries Confucian ethics and morality. According to Confucianism, the sacredness of rituals is compulsory or sacred. Regarding its origin, there are two analytical perspectives:the "magic taboo theory" and the "social ritual theory. " The former posits that ritual sacredness stems from residual "magic" elements, while the latter attributes it to society. Compared to Confucianism's own framework, neither perspective fully explains the sacredness of rituals. Taking the Shi ("尸") Ceremony as an example, this paper argues that the sacredness of Confucian rituals is rooted in the Confucian theory of human nature- "human beings are situated within society. " The ritual participants reconstruct a magical human-divine relationship through the physiological connections. The officiating participants' "heart of a filial son" and the assistants' ritual activities performed in accordance with ethical hierarchical order repeatedly reinforce the participants' view of "society". Hence, the Confucian ritual system provides a unique mechanism for establishing social solidarity.
  • 加载中
    1. [1]

      WEN Jun . From Technical Tokens to Social Tokens: the Ontological Construction of Token Sociology. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(8): 145-156.

    2. [2]

      YANG Dian ,  DONG Shuhao . The Social Construction of Economic Value——Evidence from Financial Markets, with a Discussion on Building a Valuation System with Chinese Characteristics. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(1): 131-146.

    3. [3]

      QIN Zhongliang . Historical Views and Historical Facts: The Evolution of Perceptions of Fanzhen since the Song Dynasty. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(7): 181-194.

    4. [4]

      YU Jianxing ,  LIU Yuxuan . Beyond the Outside Observer: Repositioning the Social Sciences in the Era of Large Language Models. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(7): 77-89.

    5. [5]

      ZANG Leizhen ,  LI Wei . Bringing Context Back in——The Root Metaphor of the “Bringing Back” Approach in Social Science Research. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(1): 84-93.

    6. [6]

      ZHOU Mujun . Between Theory and Empirical Facts: Habermas and the Sociological Debate on the Public Sphere. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(8): 157-170.

    7. [7]

      DING Huiping . Invisible Governance and the Rebuilding of Local Social Order: A Historical Sociology Analysis of Qi Biaojia's Famine Relief Action in Late Ming Dynasty. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(3): 143-154.

    8. [8]

      LIN Shangli . China's Mission in Constructing Original Theories and Its Methodological Foundation. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(7): 5-11.

    9. [9]

      WAN Yong ,  LI Yalan . Realizing the Function of Copyright Law in the Era of Artificial Intelligence. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(7): 104-116.

    10. [10]

      WANG Qian . AI-Generated Content and Copyright Liability: Paradoxes and Resolutions. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(8): 118-132.

    11. [11]

      RAN Gaoran . The Evolution and Game of Property Systems——On the Paradigm Choice for Data Property. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(7): 117-128.

    12. [12]

      NI Liangkang . The Philosophy of History of “New Idealism” after Hegel: Neo-Hegelianism. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(7): 12-22.

    13. [13]

      WANG Xiaoyang . The Normative Dimension of Animal Consciousness——The Later Wittgenstein on Animal Minds and Its Contemporary Implications. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(6): 16-27.

    14. [14]

      LEI Lei . Methodological Standpoint of Digital Jurisdiction: Functionalism, or Normativism?. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(1): 108-119.

    15. [15]

      MA Xuejun . The Echoes of Yan Fu's Thought among Republican-Era Sociologists——Based on the Writings of Tao Menghe,Pan Guangdan,Lin Yaohua,and Fei Xiaotong. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(3): 132-142.

    16. [16]

      HU Jun . Three Dimensions of Aesthetic Value from the Perspective of Neuroaesthetics——On the Essence of Beauty and Other Issues. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(8): 184-194.

    17. [17]

      SU Tao . The Variations of Lyricism: On Cinematic Adaptations of Shen Congwen's Works in the 1950s. Academic Monthly, 2026, 58(3): 185-193.

Article Metrics

Article views: 1818 Times PDF downloads: 5 Times Cited by: 0 Times

Metrics
  • PDF Downloads(5)
  • Abstract views(1818)
  • HTML views(320)
  • Latest
  • Most Read
  • Most Cited
        通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com
        • 1. 

          沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院 沈阳 110142

        1. 本站搜索
        2. 百度学术搜索
        3. 万方数据库搜索
        4. CNKI搜索

        A Sociological Analysis Centered on the Sacred Rituals of Confucian Thought

        Abstract: Ritual thought is a crucial component of Confucian doctrines, generally regarded as a behavioral norm that carries Confucian ethics and morality. According to Confucianism, the sacredness of rituals is compulsory or sacred. Regarding its origin, there are two analytical perspectives:the "magic taboo theory" and the "social ritual theory. " The former posits that ritual sacredness stems from residual "magic" elements, while the latter attributes it to society. Compared to Confucianism's own framework, neither perspective fully explains the sacredness of rituals. Taking the Shi ("尸") Ceremony as an example, this paper argues that the sacredness of Confucian rituals is rooted in the Confucian theory of human nature- "human beings are situated within society. " The ritual participants reconstruct a magical human-divine relationship through the physiological connections. The officiating participants' "heart of a filial son" and the assistants' ritual activities performed in accordance with ethical hierarchical order repeatedly reinforce the participants' view of "society". Hence, the Confucian ritual system provides a unique mechanism for establishing social solidarity.

          HTML

        Relative (17)

        目录

        /

        DownLoad:  Full-Size Img  PowerPoint
        Return