Why is the hanbok a left-over-right collar?

Right obeisance is a symbol of the Han Chinese, obeisance, the original meaning of the lapel. The left front lapel cover to the right armpit tie, the right lapel cover in, said right obeisance. The opposite is called left obeisance. Ancient Central Han clothing lapel to the right, to "right obeisance" said the Chinese custom. "Left obeisance" generally refers to the attire of ethnic minorities outside the central plains. Some historical periods, the Han Chinese by foreign influences (such as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States, the period of the five hu chaotic China, etc.), also has a left-overlapping situation in the "Analects - Xianqian", there is a Confucius quotes: "micro pipe Zhong, my hair was left-overlapping carry on". The meaning of this sentence is: if there is no Guanzhong, we are afraid that we have to be cloaked and wear left-over-length clothes!

Combined with the background of the time, the meaning of Confucius' words is very simple, that is, to praise Guanzhong to assist Duke Huan of Qi's respect for the king and the barbarians. The word "barbarians" here refers to certain northern peoples at the time, and it was their custom to wear their hair over their heads. Because Guan Zhong assisted Duke Huan of Qi in successfully resisting the intrusion of certain northern peoples into the Central Plains, and in protecting the Zhou royal family and the vassal states in the Central Plains, Confucius praised him with these words.

From these words, we can also see that Confucius attached great importance to the custom of dress, which was the opposite of the Han Chinese dress, which was right-over-obeisance, and the left-over-obeisance of the northern minorities. Han very then northern minority customs are different, the performance should be multi-faceted, but, Confucius does not say anything else, only said the hair style and crown, visible clothing in the mind of Confucius occupies a very important position.

Left obeisance is used for the dead, in addition, the traditional customs of the Han Chinese, the clothes of the dead (life jacket) with left obeisance, not with cloth buttons, but the use of thin cloth belt tied with a dead knot to show that the yin and yang are different. Although some excavated tombs, the dead do not wear left obeisance, but it does not mean that the traditional Han Chinese customs do not have the deceased wear left obeisance ritual.