He Ji — The Combined Ancestral Sacrifice in Zhou China 合祭
Paul PengHe Ji (合祭, Hé Jì, lit. "Combined Sacrifice") is the grand combined ancestral sacrifice of the Zhou dynasty, at which all ancestors — from the founding ancestor to the most recent — were worshipped together in a single ceremony. Also called xia (拾), it was performed every three years, contrasting with the seasonal four-sacrifice cycle that honored only the four immediate generations. The Shuowen Jiezi (说文解字) defines it as a grand assembly of ancestral spirits regardless of genealogical distance — a comprehensive gathering that reinforced lineage unity and the transmission of ancestral authority.
He Ji (合祭, Hé Jì, lit. "Combined Sacrifice") is the grand combined ancestral sacrifice of the Zhou dynasty. The term is recorded in the Shuowen Jiezi (说文解字) by Xu Shen (许慎) and the Liji (礼记). Also known as xia (拾, xiá), the He Ji gathered all ancestral tablets — from the founding ancestor down to the most recent — in a single comprehensive ceremony performed every three years. Unlike the seasonal sacrifices which honored only the four immediate generations, the He Ji assembled the full lineage, reinforcing lineage unity and the transmission of ancestral authority across generations.
The Shuowen Jiezi (说文解字) by Xu Shen (许慎, Eastern Han) records:
"Xia: the great combined sacrifice of ancestors, both near and distant."
The Liji (礼记) provides the ritual context for the He Ji within the broader ancestral temple sacrifice system. The He Ji's defining characteristic — the assembly of all ancestors regardless of genealogical distance — distinguished it from the regular seasonal sacrifices, which honored only the four immediate generations. The three-year cycle of the He Ji ensured that the full lineage was periodically assembled and honored, maintaining the integrity of the ancestral connection across time.
In the Zhengyi tradition, the He Ji principle of comprehensive assembly informs the grand communal jiao (醮) ceremony, in which all celestial and terrestrial deities are invited to receive offerings in a single grand ritual event. The Zhengyi canon prescribes periodic grand ceremonies that mirror the classical He Ji — gathering the full divine pantheon just as the Zhou gathered all ancestors in the combined sacrifice. The principle of inclusive assembly — no deity excluded, no level of the hierarchy overlooked — is the Taoist inheritance of the He Ji's comprehensive logic.
The Taoist ritual process at Longhu Mountain preserves this comprehensive assembly principle in its major liturgical events. The Zhengyi school's grand jiao ceremonies — performed at major intervals in the liturgical calendar — are the living descendants of the Zhou He Ji, adapted to the Taoist celestial bureaucracy's comprehensive divine hierarchy.
