Coffin is an ancient burial utensil in China, which is often called collectively, but just like grave and tomb, coffin and coffin are different concepts.
There was a strict and graded coffin burial system in ancient times. "Coffin" is what we often call a coffin, which is used to hold the wooden burial utensils of the deceased and bury the body, while "coffin" is a box set outside or around the coffin. Wooden coffins appeared in Yangshao culture in Neolithic age in China, and wooden coffins appeared in Longshan culture, which were used as clan leaders.
There is a cloud in the paragraph of Shuowen: "The wooden coffin is made of wood, surrounded by coffins, which seems to have a land of Guo." In ancient society, people did not need coffins after death. The Book of Changes: Ancestral Descendants says: "Buried people in ancient times were rewarded with thick clothes and hid in the wilderness, without sealing or trees."
Here, "no seal" means that there are no mounds, and "no trees" means that no trees are planted. It can be seen that the funeral at that time was extremely simple. In the Neolithic Age, with the enrichment of living materials, coffins were used, including sarcophagus, pottery coffins, wooden coffins and bark coffins. Wood Guo and stone Guo also appeared in this period.
During the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, coffins continued to develop, and it was not until the Western Zhou Dynasty that a complete and strict ritual system was established. In terms of thickness, "Jun coffin is eight inches, which is six inches and four inches. The doctor's coffin is eight inches, which is six inches. The doctor's coffin is six inches, belonging to four inches. The coffin is six inches. " The material is Guo, Doctor Bai Guo and Zamu Guo.
The son of heaven enjoys a quadruple coffin. The coffin containing the corpse is wrapped in cowhide, which is called "leather coffin" and made of basswood; The third one is called "Genus" and the fourth one is made of Zimu. (According to Book of Rites, Shangtan Bow and Book of Rites).
By the Han Dynasty, the coffin system became more and more complete. Princes, princesses and nobles use nanmu, civilians use paulownia or miscellaneous wood, and the poor can only use tile coffins.
Noble coffins are beautifully decorated, such as Zhu's painted coffins and black paint painted coffins. The painted coffin used by the wife of Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan, unearthed in Hebei Province was inlaid with 26 pieces of jade. The appearance of brick tombs and stone tombs turned the tombs themselves into coffins, which were called "brick coffins" or "sarcophagus".
From Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to Ming and Qing Dynasties, the development of coffins replaced the use of coffins, but the habit of "coffins must be heavy" remained unchanged. There were a lot of wood-like buildings in the Song Dynasty. Before and after the tomb, carved lattice door, five-story Double Arch, exquisite and gorgeous, known as the "Imperial Palace".
In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the tomb reached its peak, like an underground palace.
As an advocate of "the coffin must be heavy", Xunzi has high-sounding reasons. Xunzi's Book of Rites: "Rites are devoted to treating life and death. When you are born, you die at the beginning and at the end. In the end, everything will be fine, and humanity will be finished. "
In other words, "courtesy" lies in attaching importance to health and death. Since life and death are equally important, this practice of "paying more attention to your own life and less attention to your own death" is a betrayal of your dead parents.
A true dutiful son, no matter how filial his parents are when they are alive, will not be considered as a good beginning and a good ending, let alone filial piety, if he can't handle the funeral for his parents with dignity.
If the funeral is not done well, that is, if you don't know the way of life and death, it will run counter to etiquette and lose the foundation of being a man. Therefore, Xunzi tirelessly repeated the ancient ritual system: "The emperor's coffin weighs seven times, the vassal weighs five times, the doctor weighs three times, and the scholar is heavier."
Coffin became an important argument for Xunzi's emphasis on ceremony. But Mozi strongly opposed reburial. It is believed that the world has lost justice after three generations of holy kings. If heavy burial and long mourning can really make the poor rich, the few numerous, the dangerous safe and the chaotic rule, this is benevolence and righteousness, and vice versa. Not what a dutiful son should do.