Xiang Cheng, Volume 08: Miscellaneous Records of Incense Matters
From the very beginning, incense was not a sensory pleasure but a ritual vessel for averting impurity and reaching sincerity.
Volume 08 · Miscellaneous Records of Incense Matters
Original Text (Compiled and Edited)
The Zuo Zhuan says: "Millet and sacrifice are not fragrant; it is bright virtue that is fragrant." The Rites of Zhou, Autumn Offices: "The Jian clan is in charge of removing harmful insects, attacking them with exorcism sacrifices, and fumigating with mangcao." In ancient times, burning incense was originally for averting impurity and reaching sincerity, serving the spirits with reverence—not merely for delighting the nose.
Vernacular Translation and Annotation
This volume compiles records of incense-burning from high antiquity to the Han dynasty, highlighting the cultural origin of Chinese incense practices: from the very beginning, incense was not merely a sensory pleasure but a ritual vessel for "averting impurity and reaching sincerity"—using fragrance to purify the environment, convey sincerity, and pay respects to the spirits. The Zuo Zhuan says "it is bright virtue that is fragrant," meaning fragrance is a symbol of virtue; the Rites of Zhou records "fumigating with mangcao," the earliest record of burning incense to repel insects and prevent disease. Only by understanding this can one understand why later literati regarded burning incense as a ritual of self-cultivation.
Annotations
- "Millet and sacrifice are not fragrant; it is bright virtue that is fragrant": From the Zuo Zhuan, meaning the fragrance of offerings is not as fragrant as virtue.
- Exorcism sacrifices: Ancient sacrifices to avert disasters.
- Mangcao: A toxic fragrant herb, used in ancient times to fumigate and kill wood-boring insects.
Editorial Notes · Versions and Editorial Remarks
Basis of the Edition:The transmission of Xiang Cheng traces back to the Chongzhen-era Ming printed edition; extant editions include the Wenyuange Siku Quanshu edition, the Siku Huiyao edition, and various Qing manuscript copies. This compilation uses a commonly circulated collated edition as its base text and is cross-checked against the Siku Quanshu edition.
Collation for This Volume:This volume contains miscellaneous records on incense-burning ritual systems and incense-related anecdotes, with abundant citations; there are many variant forms of book titles and chapter titles (e.g., Xiang Pu is sometimes given as Xiang Lu), and the original citations are followed here.
Facsimile Comparison:The “original text” on this page is a collated compilation (punctuated and paragraph-divided according to modern conventions), not a facsimile of the original book; for character-by-character comparison, please consult authoritative public-domain editions:Full text of Xiang Cheng (twenty-eight volumes) from the Siku Quanshu edition on Wikisource、Facsimile scans of Xiang Cheng on Wikimedia Commons (PDFs including the National Library of China copy). This site does not fabricate ancient book layouts, and therefore provides authoritative public-domain facsimile external links instead.