There has been a broad discussion among scholars about the origin of rituals (li 禮), but so far no consensus has been reached. On one hand, most of the scholars who start from the character li agree that li originates in the context of sacrifice, although the etymology of the character is contended. And in the chapter “liyun” of the Liji, Confucius also emphasizes that offering food to “show respect to the gods” is the beginning of li. On the other hand, the function of rituals is seen by some other scholars in the solidarity it creates within society from an anthropological point of view, thus they discuss the origin of li from the perspective of the concentration of political power and the formation of patriarchal societies and nations, to which Confucius also points out in the chapter “liyun” of the Liji that the final establishment of li is closely related. In addition, there is another opinion in the Liji states that li originates in the marriage rituals, as the strict regulation between the two sexes is the basis for family ethics and societies based on it, therefore it is also the origin of li – the social order.