Li Chi is one, perhaps the most important, of the Five Classics, the Confucian texts which have been the cultural foundation of Chinese civilization for two thousand years. Chi means miscellany or encyclopedia. Li is the important word. According to the circumstances in which it is used, the word means: ceremonial, ceremonies, etiquette, politeness, urbanity, courtesy, honesty, good manners, good education, form, knowing how to live, decorum, decency, personal dignity, moral conduct, social order, social laws, duties, law, usages, customs, etc., etc. The li, onginally a set of sacrificial rites practiced by the noble lord as head of the family and ruler of a state, came to include all kinds of non-religious observance on the great occasions of life such as martiage and mourning, as well as ceremonies observed in feasts, contests, and entertainments of the feudal princes. Li Chi gives detailed instructions on how to follow these ceremonial occasions. Some of these rites we may regard as extravagant, but the reflect Chinese family traditions, social relationships, and religious beliefs. Li Chi has been called "the most exact and complete monography that China has been able to give of itself to other nations."

Besides enriching the Confucian tradition, Li Chi further exented its influence upon the development of later Chinese philosophy. There is also an abundance of material dealing with educational theories and principles, as well as institutions of education.

Many of the li ideas are expressed or illustrated in the form of anecdotes about Confucius and discourses among the Sage and his disciples.

One may study Li Chi as a philosophical work expounding the principles and functions of ancient rituals and ceremonies or as a source work concerning the evolution of Confucian thought and its relation to the development of Chinese civilization. From the standpoint of literature, Li Chi is outstanding. In the forty-nine chapters are passages noted for the beauty and dignity of expression characteristic of an advanced stage of literary art.

The translation by James Legge is commonly recognized as the best ever made in any Western language. To this distinguished text there has now been added a full-length introduction by the editers, Dr. Ch'u Chai, Professor of Chinese Culture and Philosophy at The New School for Social Research, and his son, Winberg Chai, Professor of Far Easter Studies at University of Redlands. California. As they also did in editing a companion volume, I Ching: Book of Changes, they have provided a Study Guide to ease the way for those who are unfamiliar with Chinese philosophical writings