Why the Five Rites Make a Strong Outline
An ancient Chinese rites and music newspaper can feel too broad to start. The Five Rites solve that problem. Old Chinese texts group rituals into five kinds: Ji Li, Xiong Li, Jun Li, Bin Li and Jia Li. Together they cover the moments of a life, from sacrifice and mourning to going to war, welcoming guests, coming of age and celebrating a wedding. Once these five lines are on the page, every column has a clear job.
One Short Sentence for Each Rite
Ji Li: honouring heaven and ancestors
Ji Li is the most important group and covers sacrifices to heaven, ancestors, the sun, the moon and the mountains. A line to copy: Ji Li honours heaven and remembers ancestors. Add a small drawing of an incense burner, an altar or a cloud pattern.
Xiong Li and Jun Li: quiet and active
Xiong Li covers funerals, condolences and relief in hard times, and speaks of sympathy. Jun Li covers going out to battle, returning in triumph and training troops, and speaks of discipline. Try a paired line: Xiong Li shows a kind heart, Jun Li shows good order.
Bin Li and Jia Li: guests and happy days
Bin Li is the ritual of receiving guests and envoys; Jia Li includes coming-of-age ceremonies, weddings and feasts. A line to copy: Bin Li welcomes with respect, Jia Li completes things with harmony. These two columns suit small silhouettes of people bowing or raising a cup.
Fitting Five Columns onto One Sheet
Five equal columns are often too tight. Try one of these plans:
- Centre and corners: keep a large box in the middle for the title and a short idea about rites and music, put four rites around it, and write Jia Li in a strip at the bottom.
- Top and bottom: use the upper half for the general idea and Ji Li, then run four narrow columns down the lower half for the rest.
- Title space: leave a finger-wide margin around the sheet and draw meander or cloud patterns just inside it.
Small Details with an Ancient Feel
- Use meander patterns, cloud-and-thunder patterns or bamboo-slip lines for borders instead of plain straight lines.
- Keep to bronze green, ochre, cream and vermilion, with light and dark tones of the same colour.
- Draw small outlines of bells, stone chimes, drums or a zither in the corners to echo the word music.
- Write the body text with one pen and one size, keeping lines straight and even.
Opening and Closing Lines to Copy
Opening: Rites gave people a way to act; music gave them a way to feel. Together they kept society orderly and warm.
Closing: The Five Rites are not just old rules. They remind us to respect nature, care for others, keep order and behave politely, and that is still worth learning today.
Finish Your Layout in the Mini Program
If you want a tidier design, open the Smart Handwritten Newspaper mini program in WeChat, choose a classic template, drop your finished text into the columns and adjust the borders. You will have a clean rites and music newspaper in a short time.