In the pre-Qin Period, Mu墓 (Tomb or Grave) and Zhong冢 (Mound over grave) are two exclusively different concepts: Mu was burial place without mound over it, and a general term for the burials of common people and some nobles; Zhong was large-scale burial with artificial mound over it, and the term specially used for the royal or high-ranked elite burials. The meanings of these two terms began to be mixed up since the Spring-and-Autumn Period, and referred to the same concept in the Qin-Han Period. In the pre-Qin Period, the Zhongji冢祭, which were sacrifice offering ceremonies on the sites of the mounded royal or high-ranked elite tombs, did unquestionably exist; but the Muji墓祭, which were sacrifice offering ceremonies held on the sites of the graves of common people or some nobles, was only one step in the procedure of funeral ceremonies and not held as a rule. The opinion of "in the ancient times, Muji was not held" by the scholars in the Han to Jin Dynasties was held just on this aspect.
