One should not disdain refined food or finely cut meat. Do not eat food that is stale or spoiled, fish that has gone bad, or meat that has rotted. Do not eat anything with an unappetizing color or foul odor. Do not eat food that is improperly cooked, eaten at the wrong time, cut in an improper way, or served without its proper sauce.
Even if there is plenty of meat, one should not let it exceed the amount of staple food consumed. Wine may be drunk without a fixed limit, but never to the point of intoxication and disorder. Do not consume wine or dried meat bought from the market. Keep ginger on the table, but do not overeat it. After a public sacrifice, do not keep the sacrificial meat overnight. Private sacrificial meat should not be kept beyond three days; after that, it must not be eaten. Do not talk while eating; do not speak while sleeping. Even when eating simple fare – coarse grains, vegetable soup, or melon – used in offerings, one must maintain the same solemnity as during fasting.
Note
This passage from the Analects illustrates Confucius’s view that daily life – especially eating – is a domain for ethical cultivation and ritual mindfulness. His dietary rules are not mere gourmet preferences but expressions of ritual propriety, health consciousness, moderation, and reverence. Avoiding spoiled or improperly prepared food reflects respect for one’s body as a vessel of virtue. The emphasis on timing, cutting, and sauces shows attention to order and cultural norms. Moderation in meat and wine embodies self-restraint. Refusing market-bought provisions likely stems from concerns about purity and ritual integrity. Most significantly, even humble meals used in offerings demand full ceremonial seriousness – proving that li is not reserved for grand occasions but permeates ordinary life. The silence during meals and sleep cultivates inner stillness. Ultimately, Confucius teaches that true refinement lies not in luxury but in disciplined, mindful, and reverent conduct in every act – even eating.
Further Reading
When fasting, one must wear a clean cloth garment, change one’s diet, and move one’s seat. Analects 10.7 (Xiang Dang)
Both emphasize how ritual purity extends to food and daily habits; eating is part of spiritual discipline.
The things the Master was cautious about: fasting, war, and illness. Analects 7.13 (Shu Er)
Food and health are linked to moral caution; improper eating risks both body and virtue.
食不厭精，膾不厭細。食饐而餲，魚餒而肉敗，不食。色惡，不食。臭惡，不食。失飪，不食。不時，不食。割不正，不食。不得其醬，不食。肉雖多，不使勝食氣。惟酒無量，不及亂。沽酒市脯不食。不撤薑食。不多食。祭於公，不宿肉。祭肉不出三日。出三日，不食之矣。食不語，寢不言。雖疏食菜羹，瓜祭，必齊如也。
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