What was the ceremony of accepting students by ancient teachers?

According to the Book of Rites, when a child goes out to study at the age of ten, he must pay homage to the teacher, whether in a private school or in an institution of higher learning. In the pre-Qin period, the first visit to the teacher was a "tie" ceremony (that is, ten pieces of dried meat), and the corresponding visit etiquette was held to show respect.

Later, most children went to school at the age of seven or eight, and the gifts they met with teachers were no longer limited to dry meat, but people still called the rewards for teachers "bundles." The ceremony of learning from the teacher has also continued, but the complexity and simplicity of the ceremony vary according to the status and economic situation of the children's family.

Although the ancient government officials taught some cultural knowledge to their children in the tutor stage, the real learning began with formal apprentices. The first teacher is responsible for enlightening children and is used to calling him a mentor. The ceremony of learning from teachers, also known as the ceremony of becoming a monk, has always been valued and is generally grand.

In Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, an auspicious day should be chosen for the swearing-in ceremony. Ten kinds of Nostoc flagelliforme, glutinous rice balls, pork liver and small carp. From the grandmother's house of the school children, this day will be listed on the nave, filled with ten bowls called "Ten Kui", and invited the teacher's old students to come and eat with the children. After dinner, the students who attended the teacher bowed to Teacher Meng on the red carpet. Then, the teacher taught the boy to write and describe the printed words "Shang, Da and Ren" hand in hand. After writing, the teacher circled these three words to express his affirmation, and the boy bowed down again to express his gratitude and presented gifts such as money and goods to show his respect. After that, a banquet was held to entertain the teacher, and then the teacher was sent out of the hall according to etiquette.

After the teacher leaves, Mongolian children, under the leadership of their parents, will also meet their elders and relatives and accept "money" from their elders. The champion films and longevity cakes sent by grandma's family will be distributed to classmates, and the paper champion and champion will be taken in by Mongolian children. At this point, the whole ceremony is over.

The ancient ceremony of learning from teachers applies to all teacher-student relationships, not only ordinary students, but also the Crown Prince. According to the Regulations on the Etiquette of Learning from Teachers, the procedures and requirements for the Crown Prince to meet the teachers when he first entered the school gate are the same as those of the state and county schools. The custom of worshipping teachers reflects the respect for teachers who teach and dispel doubts. Respecting teachers is one of the fine traditions of the Chinese nation. After learning, he emphasized respecting teachers and respecting morality, and demanded in the code of conduct: when meeting teachers, he must bow; Teachers must stand up and answer questions; Raise your hand when asking questions to the teacher; When the teacher is sitting, students should stand aside; Students can't sit when the teacher is standing; Students should not speak loudly when the teacher is present, and so on.

In ancient times, many family tutors also emphasized the need to respect teachers and regard teachers as fathers. The so-called "a teacher for a day, a father for life", and even the saying "disrespect for teachers, the devil takes the hindmost" appeared.

Of course, we should also see that some aspects that emphasized the dignity of teachers in ancient times went to extremes. For example, the ancients emphasized the inheritance of learning from the law and did not allow students to be unconventional. If students put forward different opinions from teachers in the exploration of knowledge, or even set up another portal, it is considered a big violation. This has bound people's innovative spirit to a great extent and become an obstacle to the progress of the times, which should be taken as a warning.