Ritual Propriety Ritual propriety (li) is harder to understand in the modern context The original concept relied on following the ancient rituals and sacrifices that were a part of court life in the time of Confucius. Even the Analects, however, broaden the idea to include the importance of following the social norms of polite conduct when interacting with others. Following the rituals and norms was believed to build self-regulation (Cheng, 2004), in a similar way to how marching drill and respectful protocols such as salutes are thought to play a part in reinforcing the self- discipline (regulation) of those serving in the military.Griffith Business School