Why do men walk on the left side of women?

In our daily lives, men are on the left and women are on the right. It seems to be a convention that has penetrated into every aspect of our social life. When going to the public toilet, the man is on the left and the woman is on the right; when wearing a wedding ring, the man is on the left and the woman is on the right; in addition, when taking wedding photos, when the couple attends certain ceremonial occasions, etc., men are often on the left and women are often on the left. right. If the positions are reversed, some people will laugh and say that it violates the custom of "men on the left and women on the right".

How did this custom come about? According to legend, after Pangu, the founder of the Chinese nation, transformed into an immortal, his body organs transformed into the sun, moon, stars, four poles and five mountains, rivers, lakes and all living things. Although this legend contains mythological elements, it provides us with a reference for studying the sun and moon gods of the Chinese nation. "Five Yun Calendar" believes that the two gods of the Chinese nation, the sun and the moon, were transformed from Pangu's eyes. The sun god was transformed from Pangu's left eye; the moon god was transformed from Pangu's right eye. According to folklore, the "male left eye" was transformed. This is where the custom of "female right" comes from. So who are the two gods of the Chinese nation, the sun and the moon? The sun god is Fuxi; the moon god is Nuwa, both of whom are legendary ancient gods.

A few years ago in Shuimogou, Urumqi, I saw the white relief and description of the Fuxi and Nuwa paintings unearthed in Astana. The painting of Fuxi and Nuwa in Turpan was found in the Astanahara Hezhuo ancient tombs. A small amount of it was also found in the cemeteries near Jiaohe Ancient City. Most of them were found in the tombs where husband and wife were buried together. They were usually nailed to the top of the tomb with wooden nails. The picture Facing downwards, a few paintings were folded and wrapped and placed next to the deceased. According to the ancient Chinese etiquette of men on the left and women on the right, Fuxi is on the left and holding the rules with the left hand, and Nuwa is on the right, holding the rules with the right hand. They have a human head and a snake body, with snake tails intertwined; the sun is painted on the head, the moon is painted on the tail, and the stars are painted around it. . Due to its profound meaning, peculiar composition, artistic charm and mystery, it has been highly valued by the academic community since its publication at the beginning of this century. Fuxi and Nuwa are both gods and ancestors of humans in ancient Chinese legends. It is said that Fuxi once taught people to engage in farming, animal husbandry, and fishery production, and Nuwa taught people the ethics and etiquette of marriage. The rules and regulations they hold in their hands are not only tools of production, but also symbols of social order. In 1953, scientists discovered that the structure of a basic genetic object of organisms, the molecule of deoxyribonucleic acid, the basic genetic material of all living things, a double helix structure, was actually the same as that of the Turpan area. The image of the human ancestor of all things is very similar. In the name of transforming all things into being, a portrait of Fuxi and Nuwa unearthed in Turpan became the homepage illustration of the 1983 trial issue of the UNESCO magazine "International Social Sciences".

In addition, the custom of "men on the left and women on the right" is closely related to the philosophical outlook of ancient people. Ancient Chinese philosophers believed that the two opposites that govern things and people in the universe are yin and yang. Things in nature include size, length, up and down, left and right, etc. The ancients classified them into big, long, upper and left as yang, small, short, lower and right as yin. Yang is strong and Yin is weak. In terms of human character, men who are violent and strong belong to the yang group on the left, while women who are gentle and strong belong to the yin group on the right side. "Male on the left and woman on the right" also has practical scientific significance in the application of traditional Chinese medicine. "Male on the left and woman on the right" in medicine refers to the physiological differences between men and women. When diagnosing the pulse in traditional Chinese medicine, men take Qi pulses from the left hand and women take blood pulses from the right hand. Even if children are sick and observe the hand lines, the habit of "men on the left and women on the right" is adopted. This is the origin of "men on the left and women on the right". This custom that is still followed today dates back to the Warring States Period more than 2,000 years ago. Of course, whether "men on the left and women on the right" can really represent the physiological differences between men and women is another question.

In our country’s feudal society, many things are classified into high and low, including east, west, north, south, front, back, left, and right.

In ancient times, the south was regarded as the supreme, while the north symbolized failure and surrender. Palaces and temples all faced due south, and the emperor's seat always faced south. When he became the emperor, he was said to be "honored by the south"; when he lost a battle or submitted to others, he was "defeated" and "called his subject by the north." It is precisely because the direction of due south is so honored that in the past, when people built houses, no one dared to take the direction of due south of the meridian. They always moved east or west to avoid violating taboos and being punished.

In addition to the south being superior and the north being inferior, in the direction of east and west, the ancients also put the east first and the west second. The residences of the queen and concubines are divided into the East Palace and the West Palace. The East Palace is the largest and the West Palace is the second. The Ancestral Temple where the ancestors' tablets are enshrined should be built on the east side of the palace. The words "dongjia" and "landlord" in modern Chinese also come from this.

In addition to east, west, north, and south, the front, back, left, and right directions also have distinctions of superiority and inferiority. The ancient emperor was the supreme king. He sat facing south and facing north, with the east on his left. Therefore, while advocating the East, "Left" also became noble. During the Three Kingdoms period, Soochow occupied Jiangdong, also known as Jiangzuo. The etiquette system of Wen Zuo and Wu You, the concept of men on the left and women on the right, etc., are all reflections of respect for the left, and some customs even continue to this day.

For example: The room is the most important part of the residential courtyard. Courtyards in Beijing are all bungalows, with no buildings. The most important room in the courtyard is the main room. The main room is the north room, also called the upper room or main room. Since the ancestral tablets and the main room are located in the middle of the main room, the main room has the highest status in the whole house. The main room's bay, depth and height are larger than other rooms in size. The main room usually has three rooms, with the middle one being the ancestral hall. Grandparents often live in the secondary room on the east side, and parents live in the secondary room on the west side. In addition, the secondary rooms on the left (east) of the main room in old houses and the smaller rooms on the right are larger than those on the right. The one on the (west) side is slightly larger, which is the result of the traditional custom of "left is up". In the old days, people had the custom of respecting the left. We often talk about "the ancient temple of Zuo Zu", "Wen Zuo Wu You" and "men left and women right" are all reflections of respecting the left.

Another example: There are also particularities in wearing a ring. This particularity is not recorded in writing, but is a kind of convention. People believe that the left is up and the right is down. The left symbolizes dignity and strength, and the right symbolizes gentleness and consideration. Therefore, when people wear rings, they are divided into "men on the left and women on the right". In addition, if a man wears it on his index finger, it means courtship, if he wears it on his middle finger, he means he is in love, and if he wears it on his ring finger, he means he is married. Women generally don't wear it on their index finger, and the rest are similar to men's. If someone wears it on their little finger with a man on his left and a woman on her right, it clearly indicates that he is single. In contemporary folk customs, when men and women have emotional interactions, they must pay attention to the position of the ring worn by the other party, respect this established custom, and get along appropriately.

Of course, in Chinese history, there have also been instances of women being on the left and men on the right. Located on the east bank of the Jialing River, the Thousand Buddha Cliff cliff statue next to the Stone Cabinet Pavilion on the ancient plank road has a history of 1,400 years. The statue is large in scale and majestic, with a total length of 417 meters from south to north and a height of 45 meters. , the statue niches and caves overlap for thirteen floors, and are as dense as a honeycomb. There are more than 400 niches and caves, and more than seven large and small statues. With Dayun Ancient Cave as the center, it is divided into two sections, the north and the south. Dayun Ancient Cave is the largest cave in Ganfo Cliff. There are 234 statues in the temple. The standing statue of Maitreya Buddha in the middle of the hall is the main Buddha of Dayun Cave and a symbol of Empress Wu Zetian. On the left is Empress Zetian, and on the right is Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi. The arrangement has changed the traditional custom of men on the left and women on the right in our country. Muni Pavilion has smooth clothing patterns and plump shapes. Behind the Buddha is a hollow carved screen, which enhances the expressive effect of the polyhedron stone carvings. It is a rare art treasure in the grottoes.

Men are on the left and women are on the right. It is a customary rule that has resulted from thousands of years of tradition that men are superior to women. From left to right, male then female. According to Eastern customs, whenever a signature is signed, if the signature is a couple, the husband's name must be written first, and the wife's name must be added as a suffix. Unlike the West, where everything is "Lady first", even the opening words of the speech are "Ladies and gentlemen".