Within the Doctrine of the Mean, ritual (li) is presented as the concrete pathway by which inner harmony is stabilized and expressed in the world. It offers a structured framework through which sincerity (cheng) is translated into measured speech, gesture, and conduct, so that genuine feeling is neither suppressed nor allowed to spill into excess. In this way, ritual becomes the bridge between inner disposition and outer action, ensuring that what is felt inwardly finds an appropriate and balanced form outwardly. When ritual is approached as a living practice rather than empty formality, it serves as a disciplined means of embodying the Mean in the midst of ordinary affairs.

Ritual also functions as a subtle regulator of emotions and desires, prescribing fitting modes of expression for joy, grief, reverence, and respect. By guiding when and how emotions are displayed, it prevents impulsive or indulgent behavior that would disturb equilibrium. Over time, this measured expression cultivates a stable and centered character, in which moderation is not a forced restraint but a natural response. Through such habituation, ritual practice gradually transforms external observance into internalized virtue, making balanced conduct almost effortless.

On the social plane, ritual harmonizes relationships by clarifying roles and appropriate behavior within them, especially in the core human bonds often highlighted in Confucian thought. It aligns individual desires with social responsibilities, so that each person acts in a way that supports mutual respect and order. As these patterns of conduct are consistently observed, social harmony emerges as an extension of personal balance, and the community itself becomes a field for the realization of the Mean. In this sense, ritual is not a private discipline alone, but a shared language of harmony.

At the deepest level, ritual is portrayed as a way of aligning human life with the larger moral pattern of Heaven. When carried out with genuine sincerity and understanding, ritual action resonates with the underlying harmony of existence, allowing human conduct to mirror cosmic order. In such practice, moderation, sincerity, and propriety converge: ritual is neither hollow formalism nor unchecked emotionalism, but a balanced middle path that embodies the Mean. Through this sustained alignment, ritual becomes a vehicle for realizing authentic nature and for dwelling in a state of dynamic, ever-adjusting equilibrium.