What do the angles of bowing mean?

The representative meanings are as follows:

15 degrees, general greeting

30 degrees, welcome gift

45 degrees, send-off gift

90 degrees, farewell to the body

In Japan, a 90-degree bow is more commonly used, and the greeting ceremony is greater than 45 degrees.

Bowing, that is, bending down to salute, is a solemn etiquette that shows respect for others. It is not only one of the traditional etiquette in our country, but also a commonly used polite way in many countries. In our country, bowing is often used to express sincere respect from subordinates to superiors, students to teachers, and juniors to elders. It is also commonly used by service personnel to greet guests, or by performers, speakers, and award recipients to express respect and gratitude to listeners and audiences.

When bowing, you should stand at attention, take off your hat, look at the recipient, and naturally lower your eyes as you bow, showing a humble attitude. When saluting, you can greet "Hello", "Welcome", etc. at the same time, and you can also express thanks or apology. After bowing, when you stand up straight, you should look at the other person politely, so that people feel that you are sincere.

When bowing, you must not put your legs aside, bend down casually or just lean your head forward as a salute. This is a sign of indifference and disrespect for the recipient. In life, it is common to bow while looking at the other person with your eyes rolled up. This approach is very inappropriate and should be avoided. Do not eat or hold a cigarette in your mouth when bowing. This is impolite.

Extended information:

The degree of bowing expresses different meanings. For example: bending at about 15 degrees means thanking; bending at about 30 degrees means sincerity and apology; bending at about 90 degrees means repentance, correction and apology.

Bowing is also very particular for South Koreans and North Koreans. We can often see South Korean and North Korean women holding their skirts in one hand and bowing with the other hand during talks, banquets or guests. When bidding farewell, they slowly retreat facing the guests to show sincerity and respect.

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia-Bow