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The Master said:“I can speak of the rites of the Xia dynasty, but the state of Qi provides insufficient evidence.I studied the rites of the Yin dynasty; remnants still exist in the state of Song.I studied the rites of the Zhou dynasty – they are in use today – so I follow the Zhou.”
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The way of supreme sincerity enables one to foresee the future.When a state is about to flourish, auspicious signs surely appear;when a state is about to perish, monstrous omens surely arise.These are revealed in the milfoil stalks and tortoise shells,and manifested in one’s bodily movements and demeanor.When fortune or misfortune is about to arrive…