The Ba Yi (Eight Rows Dance) Chapter

Confucius said of the Ji Family:"If he dared to use the Eight Rows Dance reserved for the Son of Heaven in his courtyard, what would he not dare to do?"(八佾/Bā Yì: A royal ritual dance with eight rows of eight dancers [64 total], exclusive to Zhou kings. Ji Sun, a Lu minister, usurped this privilege, provoking Confucius' outrage against ritual transgressions.) On the Three Clans Mengsun, Shusun, and Jisun using the Yong hymn during ancestral rites:"The Yong says: ‘Assisted by feudal lords, the Son of Heaven solemnly presides.’ How can such lines apply to the halls of mere ministers?" Confucius said:"Without humaneness (ren 仁), what use is ritual (li 禮)? Without humaneness, what purpose has music?" When Lin Fang asked about the essence of ritual:"Yours is a profound question. In ritual, frugality surpasses extravagance; in mourning, true grief outweighs ceremonial perfection." Confucius remarked:"Even barbarian lands with rulers lack the refinement of our Central States without rulers." On Ji Sun sacrificing to Mount Tai:Confucius asked Ran You: "Can you not stop......