Abstract
The teeming multiplicity of Chinese gods, constantly nourished by the decentralized promotion and canonization of the deceased and other entities, requires principles of order. These principles establish modes of relationship between these gods, but also with the humans who enter into a formalized relationship with them (and aspire to join their ranks). There are several of these at work, which we'll examine in turn before contrasting their logics and interweavings. The first is the bureaucratic principle: everyone has a rank that sets out their rights and duties, according to a universal code, and everyone can be promoted (or demoted) according to their merits. The second is personal relationships, strictly speaking familial (alliance, ancestry) or by adoption (many humans and gods " minors " are disciples of great gods). A third is personal affinity and affection (friendships, but also enmities), sometimes expressed by the gods themselves. These different types of relationships, some vertical, others more horizontal, form a complex field with poles of attraction around great gods, whose cult is more or less universal in the Chinese world. To understand the interweaving of these different logics, particularly in the pre-modern and modern periods, we need to look beyond one type of source (normative, narrative) and embrace the whole range of interaction situations, using tools such as social network analysis.
