Why the stone lions in front of ancient palace gates are left female and right male?

The reason why the stone lions in front of ancient palace gates are left female and right male is in line with the traditional Chinese philosophy of yin and yang of male left and female right.

There are two similar-looking stone lions outside the gates of many buildings, but they are actually divided into male and female. Generally in accordance with the left male and right female (to the direction of people out of the door as a reference) to be placed, alluding to the traditional Chinese philosophy of male left, female right, yin and yang.

Male lions are usually carved with their right front paw playing with an embroidered ball or placing an embroidered ball between their two front paws (some are also carved with their mouths open), symbolizing power.

The female lion is carved with her left front paw stroking a cub or a cub lying between her two front paws (also carved with her mouth closed), symbolizing the continuity of her offspring.

The earliest stone lions were those in front of the tomb of Gao Yi in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is a decorative object often used in traditional Chinese architecture and can be found on Chinese palaces, temples, pagodas, bridges, mansions, gardens, mausoleums and seal buttons. But more often than not, stone lions specifically refer to the pair of lions placed on the left and right sides of the main door.

Expanded Information:

Yin-Yang philosophy

The phenomenon of a woman's left and a man's right has also been seen in Chinese history. Located on the east bank of the Jialing River, the ancient palisade stone cabinet pavilion next to the thousand Buddha cliff statues, has a history of 1,400 years ago, the statue scale is magnificent, majestic. Existing niches more than four hundred, the size of the statue of more than 7,000, centered on the big cloud ancient cave, divided into the north and south sections.

Dayun ancient cave, is the largest cave in the thousand Buddha cliff. *** There are 234 statues, the main hall in the Maitreya Buddha standing statue of the Department of the main Buddha in the Great Cloud Cave, is a symbol of the Empress Wu Zetian.

The left side is the empress Zetian, the right side is the high emperor Li Zhi, arranged to change the traditional custom of our country's male left and female right. Muni Pavilion, clothing pattern smooth, full-bodied, behind the Buddha is jacketed hollow carving screen, enhance the stone carving polyhedral expression effect, is a rare art treasures in the grottoes.

Male left and female right, the convention, is the tradition of male superiority and female inferiority for thousands of years. From left to right, first male after female. According to Eastern custom, every signature, if a husband and wife, it must be the husband's name written in front, the wife plus a suffix to add its rear.

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