The phrase hui ji 墮祭 appears several times in the Yili 儀禮, written with different forms; this leads to difficulties in interpreting the texts. Previous scholars have been confused by the variants, so that, in spite of extensive discussion, there is at present no proper definition for this phrase, nor academic understanding of the represented rites. After a thorough investigation of all the rites related to hui ji, the present article concludes that there are a few meanings of the phrase used throughout the Yili. In the Yili, hui ji is used initially as a verb form, whereby the ceremonial assistants cut off a small amount of offerings, including wheat, millet, and lungs, during the major rites of the sacrificial ceremony. It simply describes the action performed by the assistants, but at the same time, its meaning is expanded in some situations, where it is used as a noun to represent the offerings cut by the assistant; finally it also represents the whole ritual performance of the personator 尸, host 主人, and host’s wife 主婦 presenting their offerings. This article also concludes that the phrase was recorded only among the chapters of sacrifice ceremonies, indicating that hui ji is indubitably a special ritualized act of sacrifice. During the ceremony, unlike the normal feast, the personator has the assistant cut off some offerings for him. This is probably an act to show honour to the personator. Meanwhile, the act of cutting off offerings from the remaining food of the ancestors can also be considered as a symbolic performance of dividing and passing on the ancestor’s blessing towards the posterity.