Often linked directly to Confucius—since the Book of Rites (Lǐjì) sits among the Five Classics—its present-day form really reflects the scholarship of Western Han figures Dai De and his nephew Dai Sheng. Rather than a single author scripting every ritual description, Lǐjì grew over centuries, stitching together fragments from early Zhou-era ceremonies, court etiquette, and local customs.

Around the first century BCE, Dai De undertook a massive editorial sweep, trimming and organizing these diverse texts into roughly thirteen sections. His nephew Dai Sheng later fine-tuned the layout, whittling it down to 49 essays that remain the backbone of modern editions. This layered approach means the Book of Rites feels like a patchwork quilt—each chapter a different stitch in the broader tapestry of ancient Chinese social life.

Today’s digital-humanities projects, like those at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, are using text-mining to unearth how ritual language shifted across dynasties. Streaming platforms even spotlight documentaries on Lǐjì, showing how its guidelines still whisper through contemporary etiquette—from wedding ceremonies to state banquets. So while Confucius laid the philosophical groundwork, the Dai family’s editorial handiwork handed down the ritual playbook known now as the Book of Rites.