Analects 3.12 · Ba Yi
“Sacrifice to the ancestors as if they were present; sacrifice to the spirits as if the spirits were present.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
祭如在 祭神如神在 (jì rú zài, jì shén rú shén zài) means “Sacrifice to the ancestors as if they were present; sacrifice to the spirits as if the spirits were present.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 3 (Ba Yi), Chapter 12.
祭如在 祭神如神在
- Pinyin
- jì rú zài, jì shén rú shén zài
- Translation
- Sacrifice to the ancestors as if they were present; sacrifice to the spirits as if the spirits were present.
- Source
- Analects, Book 3 (Ba Yi), Chapter 12
What does this passage mean?
This passage from the twelfth chapter of Ba Yi appears to begin with the disciples’ record of how Confucius conducted sacrifices: he sacrificed to his ancestors as if they were present and to the spirits as if the spirits were present. He then adds that if he does not take part in a sacrifice himself, it is as if no sacrifice were made. Confucius did not argue about whether spirits exist; he was concerned with the heart of the person performing the rite. A sacrifice that merely follows the steps is no sacrifice at all. The essence of the rite is the sincerity of treating the absent as present.
How can we apply it today?
Even for those who perform no sacrifices, this passage holds. The key is the attitude of treating something ‘as if present.’ Do you treat the person on the other side of a video call as if they were in the room? Do you speak of an absent colleague as if they could hear? When you remember someone who has died, do you live as if they were watching? The attitude that shows when no one is looking is the real attitude. Just as Confucius did not accept a sacrifice performed by proxy, attendance without the heart is not attendance. Being fully where you are is sincerity.
Questions to reflect on
- ·How do you speak and act toward people who are not present?
- ·Have you recently attended something in body but not in heart?
- ·Who would you like to live for as if they were present?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 祭 | jì | sacrifice | 11 | 示 (spirit) |
| 如 | rú | same; like | 6 | 女 (woman) |
| 在 | zài | exist | 6 | 土 (earth) |
| 祭 | jì | sacrifice | 11 | 示 (spirit) |
| 神 | shén | spirit | 10 | 示 (spirit) |
| 如 | rú | same; like | 6 | 女 (woman) |
| 神 | shén | spirit | 10 | 示 (spirit) |
| 在 | zài | exist | 6 | 土 (earth) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Sacrifice to the ancestors as if they were…” mean?
祭如在 祭神如神在 (jì rú zài, jì shén rú shén zài) means “Sacrifice to the ancestors as if they were present; sacrifice to the spirits as if the spirits were present.” It comes from the Analects, Book 3 (Ba Yi), Chapter 12.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 3.12: Book 3 (Ba Yi), Chapter 12.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Even for those who perform no sacrifices, this passage holds.The key is the attitude of treating something ‘as if present.