Liáng-shì Sānlǐ tú 梁氏三禮圖

Master Liáng’s Illustrated [Compendium of the] Three Rites

by 梁正 (撰)

About the work

A single-juàn reconstruction of 梁正 Liáng Zhèng’s (Táng-period, dates not preserved) lost Sānlǐ tú 三禮圖 — one of the principal Táng-period illustrated Sānlǐ compendia. The CHANT reconstruction (CH2e1118) is drawn from the citations in 聶崇義 Niè Chóngyì’s Sòng-period Sānlǐ tú 三禮圖 (KR1d0017), which preserved Liáng Zhèng and Zhāng Yì 張鎰 as two of its principal Táng-period precursor sources.

Abstract

The opening preserved fragment is on the pí-biàn 皮弁 (leather-cap) regalia: pí féng shí-èr 皮縫十二 (leather seams: twelve). The brief gloss follows the standard Sānlǐ-illustrated-compendium format: a regalia or sacrificial-vessel item is named, then its constructional specifications are given (number of seams, materials, decorative elements).

The source citation reads: Niè Chóngyì Sānlǐ tú juàn yī yǐn Liáng Zhèng Zhāng Yì 聶崇義‧三禮圖卷一引梁正張鎰 — i.e. Niè Chóngyì’s Sānlǐ tú juàn 1 cites the two Táng-period sources Liáng Zhèng and Zhāng Yì jointly for this entry.

The substantive content covers the canonical Sānlǐ regalia and sacrificial-vessel inventory with illustrated specifications. As a primary source for Niè Chóngyì’s authoritative Sòng-period Sānlǐ tú, Liáng Zhèng’s work transmitted the Táng-period iconographic tradition into the canonical Sòng-school Sānlǐ-tú form.

The dating bracket (618–906) covers the broad Táng dynasty span; Liáng Zhèng’s specific dates are not preserved.

Translations and research

  • Stephen Owen, Readings in Chinese Literary Thought discusses the Sānlǐ tú tradition in its broader cultural context.
  • No substantial Western-language secondary literature located specifically on Liáng Zhèng’s Sānlǐ tú.

Other points of interest

Liáng Zhèng’s Sānlǐ tú is one of the two principal Táng-period precursor sources for the canonical Niè Chóngyì Sòng-period Sānlǐ tú (KR1d0017); its preservation only as Niè-Chóngyì citations makes it a documentary witness for the Táng→Sòng Sānlǐ-tú transmission line.