Da Si — Great Sacrifice in Ancient Chinese State Ritual 大祀
Paul PengDa Si (大祀, Dà Sì, lit. “Great Sacrifice”) is the supreme grade in the three-tiered ancient Chinese sacrificial hierarchy. Performed personally by the Son of Heaven, it employs jade, silk, and pure-colored animal victims to address the highest spiritual authorities: Heaven, Earth, and the Imperial Ancestral Temple. In the Zhengyi tradition, the Da Si finds its living parallel in the grand jiao ceremony — the most elaborate Taoist liturgical rite, addressing all three realms of the cosmos.
Da Si (大祀, Dà Sì, lit. “Great Sacrifice”) is the highest grade in the three-tiered ancient Chinese sacrificial hierarchy, encompassing the supreme offerings to Heaven, Earth, and the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The term is recorded in the Zhouli (周礼, “Rites of Zhou”), which specifies that the Great Sacrifice employs jade (yu, 玉), silk (bo, 帛), and pure-colored animal victims (sheng quan, 牲牷). The Da Si represents the most solemn ritual expression of the Chinese state cult, performed personally by the Son of Heaven as the supreme mediator between the human and divine realms.
The Zhouli (周礼), “Chun Guan: Si Shi” (春官·肆师) records the three-tiered system:
“When establishing the Great Sacrifice, use jade, silk, and pure victims. When establishing the Secondary Sacrifice, use victims and silk. When establishing the Minor Sacrifice, use only victims.”
Zheng Sinong (郑司农, also known as Zheng Zhong) comments: “大祀天地。” (“The Great Sacrifice is to Heaven and Earth.”) Zheng Xuan (郑玄) supplements: “大祀又有宗庙。” (“The Great Sacrifice also includes the ancestral temple.”) The Liji (礼记), “Qu Li Xia” (曲礼下) confirms: “天子祭天地。” (“The Son of Heaven sacrifices to Heaven and Earth.”) The Da Qing Huidian (大清会典) preserves the Da Si system into the final imperial dynasty, classifying the sacrifices at the Temple of Heaven (天坛) and the Temple of Earth (地坛) as the supreme ritual category.
In the Zhengyi tradition, the Da Si concept of supreme sacrifice finds its parallel in the grand jiao (大醮) ceremony, the highest grade of Taoist liturgy. The grand jiao, performed at Longhu Mountain on major occasions, employs the most elaborate ritual implements: jade talismans, silk banners, and meticulously prepared offerings arranged on a multi-tiered altar. The Taoist ritual process of the grand jiao mirrors the three-part structure of the Da Si: purification and preparation, the central offering, and the closing seals and dismissal.
The Three Great Sacrifices of the classical system — Heaven, Earth, and Ancestral Temple — correspond to the Three Realms of the Zhengyi cosmology: the Heavenly Realm (Tianfu, 天府), the Earthly Realm (Difu, 地府), and the Water Realm (Shuifu, 水府), each governed by one of the Three Officials (Sanguan, 三官). The grand jiao addresses all three realms in a comprehensive ceremony that mirrors the comprehensiveness of the classical Da Si. The history of Taoist fasting and offering rites traces how this supreme sacrificial tradition was absorbed and transformed within the Taoist liturgical system.
