Ancient China is the left is superior, or the right is honored

Ancient Chinese people were right-winged, with the right being honored, and "moving to the left" meant being relegated to a lesser position.

Anciently, there was a difference between the official position of honor and inferiority, which was very strict. Higher officials were honored to live in the upper position, and lower officials were inferior to the lower position. Ancient architecture is usually a hall structure, the front hall and the back room. Ritual activities held in the hall is the south for the honor. When the emperor gathered his ministers, his seat must be north to south. The closer to the emperor, the greater the official position.

The current norm for Chinese food is that the host is seated in the center above, the guest of honor is on his right, the vice-guest of honor is on his left, and the others with the banquet are arranged in order from right to left and from top to bottom.

1, "the main companion" position: the main companion is the first party to invite the first position, that is, the highest position to invite the highest position, or to accompany the most honored person. Position in the front of the front door. The main role is basically the banker, to grasp the time of the feast, the degree of drinking, and so on.

2, "vice accompaniment" position: vice accompaniment is the second party of the invitation to the second position, is to accompany the guests inside the second honored person. Position in the main accompanied by the opposite, that is, back to the door. Traditionally, this position should sit in the invitation to pay the bill. However, with the prevalence of corruption in recent years, the general situation, the chaperone is the nest, so in fact, the money out of such a small matter is not to use the second position of the guest of honor personally, so this position is more to drive the guests to drink.

3, "three" position: this is a recent years just popularized a name, in fact, this position with the above mentioned "main escort" and "vice escort" title, position in the right hand side of the main escort, the position of the main escort. This position is the second position on the right hand side of the main escort. His main role is to accompany the main left and right to the "guest" in the middle, easy to take care of.

4, the "guest of honor" position: the guest of honor is the first guest side of the first place, is the guest of honor inside the highest position or the status of the most honored person to do place. Position in the "main companion" on the right.

5, "deputy guest of honor" position: is the second guest side. Position in the "main companion" of the left-hand side.

6, "three guests" position: the deputy guest is the third guest side. Position in the "deputy accompaniment" of the right-hand side.

7, "four guests" position: the deputy guest is the fourth guest side. Position in the "deputy accompaniment" of the left-hand side.

Expanded

Chinese banquets elaborate food rituals of the basic rituals and the center of the rituals, that is, the banquet on the rituals of seating - "seat". History shows that Liu Bang, the founder of Han Gaozu, made his fortune because he "sat on the seat" at the Pei county magistrate's "heavy guests" banquet. At that time or "sit on the ground", "on the seat", is the banquet "honorary place", that is, "the end of the seat". This feast on the "on the seat", due to the sitting system of the dietary basis of appliances, a few cases, dining tables and chairs shape of the historical evolution of the different eras.

Before the two Han Dynasty, "the seat south to the north, to the west for the upper", that is, to face east for the upper. The Historical Records - Xiang Yu Chronicle" in the Hongmen Banquet seating is a norm: "Xiang Wang, Xiang Bo eastward sitting, Yafu southward sitting, Yafu, Fan Zeng is also. Pei Gong northward to sit, Zhang Liang westward to sit", this is what Gu Yanwu said: "the ancients sit, to the east as the honor." This is what Gu Yanwu said: "the ancients sat to the east as an honor." This refers to the "room" within the banquet seating etiquette. In the main buildings located in the palace in the center of the front sitting north to the south of the "Hall", is the most honored to the south, followed by the west, and again to the east.

Sui-Tang later, began to sit on the bed to the feet of the high sitting and living way of change, square, rectangular type of all kinds of form of dining table are ready, seat interests also because of new changes. Square table with a side length of 92.5 centimeters, 87.5 centimeters high "Baxian table" as a representative of the table for guests, and so on and so forth can be 2 people, 3 people, 4 people, 6 people or 8 people a table.

In addition to the special table, more than two people, generally 1:1 main guest system. Round table is a large number of people should get together and the requirements of the large surface of the ship came into being. Initially, people who are used to the square table are quite uncomfortable, as Yuan Mei "garden several" poem said: "Let the place do not know who is the chief, sitting only feel can add guests."

Baidu Encyclopedia - Seating