The Interaction of Virtue and Ritual in Chinese Politics

Abstract

The word "virtue" is the core idea in Chinese political tradition, while "ritual" is the institutional shell in which the idea is implemented into the real political order. As the primary pair of opposites in political governance, virtue and ritual have been influencing each other and interacting with each other from the moment of their creation. The abstract ideal concept of virtue is constantly externalized into a concrete ritual system, and the external form of ritual constantly acquires abstract meaning. Political governance encompasses almost every aspect of human life, and the concept of virtue eventually becomes an omnipresent spirituality, while rituals become an all-encompassing cultural system in the interaction with virtue.