Ma She — The Zhou Dynasty Horse Altar Sacrifice 马社
Paul PengMa She (马社, Mǎ Shè, lit. "Horse Altar") is an ancient Chinese state sacrificial rite dedicated to the first person who harnessed horses for human use. Performed in autumn when horses were at peak strength, the rite combined sacrifice with military inspection of charioteers. Recorded in the Liji (礼记) with authoritative commentaries by Zheng Xuan (郑玄) and Jia Gongyan (贾公彦), Ma She belongs to the broader category of horse-related Zhou state sacrifices — honoring the originators who made civilization possible.
Ma She (马社, Mǎ Shè) is an ancient Chinese state sacrificial rite dedicated to the Horse Altar, honoring the first person who harnessed horses for human use. The term is recorded in the Liji (礼记, "Book of Rites"), "Xia Guan: Xiao Ren" (夏官·校人), with authoritative commentaries by Zheng Xuan (郑玄) and Jia Gongyan (贾公彦). The rite was performed in autumn when horses were at peak strength, combining sacrifice with military inspection of charioteers. Ma She belongs to the broader category of horse-related sacrifices (Ma Ji, 马祭) in the Zhou dynasty state religion.
The Liji (礼记), "Xia Guan: Xiao Ren" (夏官·校人) records:
"In autumn, sacrifice to the Horse Altar and store away the charioteers."
Zheng Xuan (郑玄) glosses 马社 as "始乘马者" ("the first one who rode horses"). Jia Gongyan (贾公彦) elaborates: "秋时马力盛平…故祭始乘马者。" ("In autumn, when horses are at their peak strength… therefore [the state] sacrifices to the first one who rode horses.") The passage is part of the Liji's systematic account of the Xiao Ren (校人, "Horse Master") official's duties, which included overseeing the full cycle of horse-related state sacrifices throughout the year.
In the Zhengyi tradition, Ma She — like many Zhou state sacrifices — was absorbed into the broader framework of Taoist liturgical practice. The Zhengyi approach reinterpreted the classical rite: where Ma She honored a human originator, the Zhengyi equivalent directs offerings to the celestial bureaucracy governing equine health and martial success. The autumn timing corresponds to the Metal phase (金) in Five Phase cosmology, which governs both martial energy and harvest completion.
The history of Taoist fasting and offering rites traces how classical Zhou state sacrifices like Ma She were transformed within the Taoist liturgical framework. The Zhengyi school's systematic absorption of classical ritual categories — including horse-related sacrifices — reflects its role as the inheritor and transformer of the ancient Chinese sacrificial tradition.
