Ximen Shihao
In the suburban sacrifice, the mourners dare not cry, and those in mourning clothes dare not enter the country gate, which is the utmost respect. On the day of the sacrifice, the king leads the animal, the mu answers the king, and the ministers follow in order. After entering the temple gate, they are beautiful in front of the stele. The ministers and officials bare their clothes, and the hairy cows are still ears. They are cut with a phoenix knife, and the flesh and blood are taken out before they leave. Burning the sacrifice, offering the smell and leaving, is the utmost respect. In the suburban sacrifice, the great report to the sky is the main sun, and the moon is paired with it. The Xiahou clan sacrificed to the dark, the Yin people sacrificed to the yang, and the Zhou people sacrificed to the sun, starting in the morning and in the dark. Sacrifice to the sun on the altar, and sacrifice to the moon on the pit, to distinguish between the living and the dead, and to control the upper and lower. Sacrifice the sun in the east and the moon in the west to distinguish the outside from the inside and to set their positions. The sun rises in the east and the moon rises in the west. The length and shortness of yin and yang, the beginning and the end, are in rotation, so as to achieve harmony in the world. The rituals of the world are to return to the beginning, to respect ghosts and gods, to achieve harmony, to achieve righteousness, and to achieve yielding. Return to the beginning to strengthen the foundation; respect ghosts and gods to respect the superiors; use things to establish the rules of the people. If righteousness is achieved, the upper and lower will not rebel. If yielding is achieved, disputes will be eliminated. Combining these five is the ritual to govern the world. Although there are strange evils, those who cannot be governed are very small.
