The "Sixteen Tongs" in the Book of Vegetarianism

The Book of Su Shu is an ancient Chinese encyclopedia, which contains a lot of information about society, politics, culture, morality, education and so on. Among them, there is a record of "Sixteen Together", i.e., "the same customs, the same rituals, the same duties, the same titles, the same sacrifices, the same rituals, the same music and dances, the same system of clothing, the same laws, the same criminal names, the same characters, the same books, the same music, the same instruments, the same systems, the same counting algorithms, the same history, the same charts, the same medical treatment, and the same pulse method". The medical profession has the same "pulse method". These sixteen "same" refers to the norms and standards followed by different regions, groups of people and industries in ancient Chinese society. They reflect the establishment and maintenance of social order in ancient China, and also indicate the unity and stability of ancient Chinese society. This concept of "sameness" was of great significance in ancient Chinese society. It emphasized the same norms and standards, and played a positive role in promoting communication and cooperation among different regions and groups of people. At the same time, it also reflects the strong influence of hierarchy and traditional culture in ancient Chinese society.