\tThe Zhouli \u5468\u793c "Rites of the Zhou" is a decription of the putative organisation of the government during the Western Zhou period \u897f\u5468 (11th cent.-770 BCE). It is one of the three classics on rites (sanli \u4e09\u793c) and one of the thirteen Confucian Classics. It was compiled during the Warring States period \u6218\u56fd (5th cent.-221 BCE) and was known under the names of Zhouguan \u5468\u5b98 "The Offices of the Zhou" or Zhouguanjing \u5468\u5b98\u7ecf "Classic of the offices of the Zhou". Only during the Former Han period \u524d\u6c49 (206 BCE-8 CE) it was given the name Zhouli by Liu Xin \u5218\u6b46. The book consists of six parts corresponding to the six ministries (liubu \u516d\u90e8) which, according to ancient cosmology, are correlated to Heaven, Earth, and the four seasons. There are 376 state officials in total, with subalters secretaries numbering many thousands. The Ministries, their cosmology and structure are:<\/p>\n
\t• Celestial offices (tianguan \u5929\u5b98), headed by the Prime Minister (zhongzai \u51a2\u5bb0), called the "regulating offices" (zhiguan \u6cbb\u5b98). The 63 officials care for the royal palace and its administration, as well as the core of the central government.
\t• Terrestrial offices (diguan \u5730\u5b98), headed by the the Overseer of Public Affairs (situ \u53f8\u5f92), called the "educational offices" (jiaoguan \u6559\u5b98). The 78 officials care for the local administration, especially the royal domain around the capital, and the inhabitants.
\t• Spring officices (chunguan \u6625\u5b98), headed by the Overseer of ritual affairs (zongbo \u5b97\u4f2f), called "ritual offices" (liguan \u793c\u5b98). The 70 officials care for religious matters and the education of state officials.
\t• Summer offices (xiaguan \u590f\u5b98), headed by the Overseer of military affaris (sima \u53f8\u9a6c), called "governing offices" (zhengguan \u653f\u5b98). The 69 officials are responsible for warfare and communication.
\t• Autumn offices (qiuguan \u79cb\u5b98), headed by the Overseer of penal affaris (sikou \u53f8\u51a0), called "penal offices"(xingguan \u5211\u5b98). The 66 officials are responsible for jurisdiction.
\t• Winter offices (dongguan \u51ac\u5b98), headed by the Overseer of public works (sikong \u53f8\u7a7a), called "affairs offices" (shiguan \u4e8b\u5b98). The 30 officials care for dykes, canals, irrigation and all other public work.<\/p>\n
\tThe Zhouli became part of the Classics thought at the state academy only during the reign of Wang Mang \u738b\u83bd (r. 8-22 CE). The usurper used this book to reestablish the universal and state orders that were thought to have existed under the early Zhou kings. With the downfall of Wang Mang and the restoration of the Han dynasty the Zhouli was expelled from the state academy. Liu Xin's disciple Du Zichun \u675c\u5b50\u6625 wrote a commentary to the Zhouli which was known by the Confucian scolars Zheng Xing \u90d1\u5174, Zheng Zhong \u90d1\u4f17, and Jia Kui \u8d3e\u9035. Zheng Xing wrote the commentary Zhouguan jiegu \u5468\u5b98\u89e3\u6cbd. Ma Rong \u9a6c\u878d wrote the commentary <="" i=""> \u5468\u5b98\u4f20, and Zheng Xuan \u90d1\u7384 wrote the commentary Zhouguanli zhu \u5468\u5b98\u793c\u6ce8. During the last decades of the Later Han period \u540e\u6c49 (25-220 CE) the three books Yili \u4eea\u793c, Liji \u793c\u8bb0 and Zhouli became canonized as the three ritual books. Zheng Xuan believed in the authenticity of the Zhouli as a book compiled on order of the Duke of Zhou \u5468\u516c (11th cent. BCE), regent during the early Zhou period, while many others thought it being a forgery or a text concocted at a much later date. During the Song period \u5b8b (960-1279) the reformer Wang Anshi \u738b\u5b89\u77f3 used is as a model and was criticised for this by many of his opponents. The Neo-Confucian philosopher Zhu Xi \u6731\u71b9 called it a forgery made by Liu Xin on Wang Mang's order. During the Qing period \u6e05 (1644-1911) Wan Sitong \u4e07\u65af\u540c (Zhouguan bian fei \u5468\u5b98\u8fa8\u975e), Yao Jiheng \u59da\u9645\u6052 (Gujin weishu kao \u53e4\u4eca\u4f2a\u4e66\u8003), Mao Qiling \u6bdb\u5947\u9f84 (Jingwen \u7ecf\u95ee), and Fang Bao \u65b9\u82de (Zhouguan bian wei \u5468\u5b98\u8fa8\u4f2a) called it a forgery. Kang Youwei \u5eb7\u6709\u4e3a was probably the most vehement critic of the Zhouli and thought it was composed according to some statements in the book Guanzi \u7ba1\u5b50. But Mao Qiling, Wang Zhong (Zhouguan zhengwen \u5468\u5b98\u5f81\u6587) and Wang Guowei \u738b\u56fd\u7ef4 also found evidence that at least parts of the Zhouli were compiled during the Warring States period, for instance, the parts on music. There are also many hints in contemporary sources that the offices described in the Zhouli really existed. Famous statements about the administrative system of the Zhou, like Mengzi’s \u5b5f\u5b50 description of the "well-field" system (jingtian \u4e95\u7530), or Xunzi’s \u8340\u5b50 description of the "royal system" (wangzhi \u738b\u5236) are differing from the Zhouli. It might therefore be that the Confucians Mengzi and Xunzi had other imaginations of the royal administration than the compilers of the Zhouli. The Confucians had in mind a system in existance during the Western Zhou period while the offices and administrative processes described in the Zhouli date from the Eastern Zhou period, as can be seen by comparison with other sources. Only a few parts have been compiled during the Han period.<\/p>\n
\tThe high quality of Zheng Xuan's commentary saved it from being expelled from the Classics, and it obtained its fixed place within the Canon.
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