Etiquette in Chinese Studies

Collection of Etiquette in Chinese Studies

"Guoxue" is also known as "Hanology" or "Chinese Studies" and generally refers to traditional Chinese culture and academics. The term "Guoxue" was coined in the 1920s, but the reform trend of "Western learning spreading to the east" was at its peak. So do you know the etiquette in Chinese studies? Below is the knowledge of etiquette in Chinese studies that I have brought to you. Welcome to read.

Walking etiquette

In the process of walking, we also pay attention to the handling of interpersonal relationships, so there are walking etiquette. In ancient times, "qiuli" was often practiced, that is, when a person with a low status walked in front of a person with a high status, he must bow his head and bend down and walk quickly in small steps to show respect to the respected person. This is "qiuli". In the walking etiquette, there is also the principle of "walking without walking in the middle of the road, standing in the middle of the door", that is, you should not walk in the middle of the road when walking, but should walk to the side; when standing, you should not stand in the middle of the door. This not only shows respect to the Venerable, but also avoids pedestrians.

Meeting etiquette

People should be enthusiastic and polite when meeting each other every day. There are certain rules for how to meet people of different identities.

For example, say hello in general and bow your hands upwards. The hand-over salute is the most common greeting etiquette. The method is to hold the hands together (usually with the right hand in a fist and the left hand on top of the right hand) and raise it to the chest, standing upright without bending down, to express general politeness.

If you are a guest at someone else's house, the host and guest should be polite and courteous to each other when entering and sitting down. At this time, the ceremony of bowing is called "yiyi". To perform a bow, you also clasp your fists with both hands, arch them up and then press them down. At the same time, you lower your head and bend your upper body slightly forward. The salute is a common etiquette in daily life. In addition to the above-mentioned social occasions, the salute is also commonly used to express gratitude, congratulations, apologies, and entrust people with errands. People of high status often bow to people of low status in return.

Society also has a ritual of kneeling to the Supreme Being, that is, kneeling on the ground, touching the head and hands rhythmically and bowing to the ground, which is the so-called kowtow. Nowadays, the kneeling ceremony can only be seen in New Year greeting activities in remote villages, and is generally no longer practiced. When people meet in today's society, they generally use the handshake introduced from Western society.

The etiquette of sitting down

The social etiquette is in order, and the seats are also divided into priority and inferiority. There are certain rules for who you are and where you sit. If you blindly sit in the wrong seat, not only will the host be unhappy, but you will also regret the rudeness afterwards. If you can't decide which seat to sit at, the best way is to follow the host's arrangements. Indoor seating is in the east direction, that is, the distinguished guests sit at the west table, and the host usually stays with him at the east table. Elderly people can be arranged in the south-facing position, that is, the north seat. The juniors who accompany the wine are usually in the north position, that is, the south table. The rule of sitting is that when eating, the body should be as close to the food table as possible, and when not eating, the body should be as far back as possible, which is called "sitting empty after all". When a distinguished guest arrives, you should stand up immediately to greet him.

Dietary etiquette

Dietary etiquette occupies a very important position in Chinese society. In the pre-Qin Dynasty, people used to "treat guests from all over the world with the courtesy of feasting on swallows". Later generations also often gather for dinner parties. It is a ritual drama. The banquet to welcome guests is called "receiving the wind" and "washing away the dust", and the banquet to see off guests is called "farewell". Whether it is a reception or a farewell ceremony, wine is inseparable from the banquet ceremony. "There is no etiquette without wine." There are many etiquettes for drinking at a banquet. Guests must wait for the host to raise their glasses before drinking. As the saying goes: "When drinking with others, don't drink first." If the guests want to express their gratitude for the host's hospitality, they can also raise a glass to toast to the host in the middle of the banquet. During the eating process, the host holds the chopsticks first to encourage the guests to eat, and then the guests can move the chopsticks. As the saying goes: "Be careful not to taste food first when you are eating with others." In ancient times, there were also a series of eating rules, such as "don't sigh when you eat", "don't eat until you're full, don't wet your hands after eating", "don't throw bones to dogs", etc. The host and guest respect each other, creating a harmonious eating and civilized Great atmosphere for eating.

Ceremony of greetings and condolences

China has been a humane society since ancient times. People care about and sympathize with each other. There are many etiquette and customs in greetings and condolences.

The greeting ceremony is generally performed during festivals. It is a salute to the elders from the younger generation or those with lower status. Peers also greet each other. Such as the ancient New Year's Day greetings from officials and the folk New Year greetings. When performing the obeisance and congratulations, one should not only have a respectful attitude, recite the congratulations orally, bow the head and prostrate, but also have to offer congratulatory gifts. The ceremony of celebrating and hanging is mainly performed during important events in life.

A person's life goes through several stages such as birth, adulthood, marriage, birthday celebrations, and death. Around these life nodes, a series of life rituals are formed. The reproduction of offspring is a family matter, so the birth ceremony is naturally grand and lively. When the baby is one month old, relatives and friends come to congratulate him and give him nutritious food, shoes, hats and clothing.

When children grow up, they must perform a coming-of-age ceremony. In Chinese society, the coming-of-age ceremony is called the ceremony of crown and hairpin.

When a man turns 20, he undergoes a crowning ceremony and takes a new name, indicating that he is qualified to get married and take on social affairs.

When a woman turns 15, she will tie her hair and add hairpins to indicate that she is of age to get married. The age of modern coming-of-age ceremony is 18 years old, and the school holds a collective oath of adulthood ceremony to emphasize the young people's awareness of adulthood.

Marriage is a major event in life, and society attaches great importance to it. There are six procedures for a wedding, the so-called "Six Rites of Zhou Gong", namely accepting gifts, asking for names, accepting gifts, accepting invitations, asking for dates, and welcoming guests in person. In the Song Dynasty, it was simplified into three rituals: accepting gifts, accepting coins, and welcoming guests. The climax of the wedding is the personal welcoming. The groom has to go to the bride's house to marry the bride in person. After the wedding, the newlyweds enter the bridal chamber to perform the wedding ceremony and wedding ceremony. On the wedding day, relatives and friends come to congratulate one after another, and the host plans a grand banquet for the guests.

Birthday ceremonies are usually held after the age of forty. There is a celebration ceremony on the birthday, and relatives and friends send birthday gifts to congratulate you.

The last rite of passage is the funeral. Chinese people attach great importance to commemorating death, and funeral ceremonies are well developed. It is a blessing in vain that a person dies in a right destiny. Relatives and friends came to express their condolences. In order to express their condolences, people should offer elegiac couplets, funeral curtains or gifts or money. The deceased is usually buried within three to five days. The ceremony of congratulations and condolences shows the spirit of social cooperation and social solidarity among people who help each other.

The etiquette spirit of the Chinese people is to be close to loved ones, and the etiquette principle is to humble oneself and respect others. When interacting with others, you must lower your posture, treat others with humility and respect, in order to win the respect of others. If a person with a high status condescends to make friends with a person with a lower status than him, he will get good social results. "If you want to be good, respect the big and respect the small." And respecting others is not just a polite gesture or a mere ceremonial expression, but respect for others from the heart. If there is no respect from the heart, the etiquette becomes empty, which does not meet the standards of etiquette. The principles of sincerity, respect, humility, and self-cultivation in etiquette and customs are still worthy of promotion in contemporary society. Of course, our inheritance of etiquette and customs is now a complicated issue, which needs to be carefully analyzed and followed. ;