Chapter 15 Chapter Five Daily Etiquette and Customs

In the pre-Qin period, people's residences can be collectively referred to as palaces or rooms, and the two are synonyms.If it is distinguished, the palace is the general name, referring to the entire house, including the walls surrounding the house.The room is just one of the living units, that is, the living room.After the Qin and Han Dynasties, "Gong" became the proper name for the emperor's residence. According to literature records, palaces and other buildings in the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period generally faced south. There was a door in front of the house, and there was a screen outside the door (some inside the door), also called Xiao Wall, which is the current screen wall.Because the house itself is inside the screen, later generations called the internal strife "the disaster of Xiaoqiang".The gates of the nobles generally have three bays, the middle is the open room, which is called the door, and the left and right dark rooms are called private schools.In the past, the place where children read books was called private school, because the earliest teaching was in private school.Inside the gate is the court (or "court"), that is, the courtyard.In the king's court is the place where the officials meet with the monarch, so it is also called "chao", and later generations say "chao court".The families are larger, and trees should be planted among them.According to "Zhou Li Qiu Guan Chao Shi", "nine thorns (jujube trees)" were planted on the left and right sides of the palace, and "three pagoda trees (sapago trees)" were planted on the south side, as a symbol of the ranking of princes and ministers.There are also torches in the courts of monarchs and nobles, which are called "court burning".According to the "Book of Rites of the Great Dai": "The son of heaven has a hundred Liao, the male is fifty, and Hou Bo's son is thirty." It can be seen that the setting of the court is also regulated by grade.In addition to lighting, the function of the courtyard is also used as a ceremonial display for receiving guests.

The main body of the palace building is composed of halls, chambers and rooms, all of which are built on high platforms.The location of the hall is in front of the living room. There are walls on the east, north and west sides. The east wall is called the east sequence, and the west wall is called the west sequence.The south facing courtyard is wide open, similar to today's stage, with two pillars in between, called Dongying and Xiying.The so-called "couplets" were named after the couplets were pasted on the columns.The hall is a place for daily activities, salutes, and hospitality.There are two steps in front of the hall, called the east step and the west step.The east steps are for the host to walk, while the west steps are for the guests. "Historical Records Biography of Prince Wei" records that during the Warring States period, Prince Wei Wuji stole amulets to save Zhao. After breaking the siege of Handan, King Zhao personally greeted him in front of the hall, "holding the gift of the master, and leading the prince to the west steps."However, Wei Wuji believed that stealing the military talisman and seizing the military power of the Jin Dynasty was a failure to the State of Wei.This specifically reflects the difference between the East and the West.In ancient times, there were strict regulations on where guests should stand in the court. Generally speaking, the honorable ones were in the hall and the humble ones were in the courtroom. Volume 5 of "Han Shi Wai Zhuan": "King Cheng of Chu reads in the hall (hall), while Lun Bian is below." Lun Bian is a craftsman with a low status.As for the guests who can enter the hall, it is respected to sit north and south, and the host generally sits facing west before the east sequence.

Behind the hall is a room, connected by households (doors).If you want to enter a room, you must first go up the hall, and if you want to go up the hall, you must go up the steps, so the ancients often have the saying "go up the hall and enter the room".There is also a window between the room and the hall, which is called 牖〔you 有〕.The household is to the east, and the house is to the west.There is also a window on the north wall of the room, called Xiang.If houses are built on both sides of the room, it is called the room (similar to the ear room of the descendants).The four corners (corners) of the room have proper names: "The southwest corner is called Ao, the northwest corner is called Wulou, the northeast corner is called Yi [yi], and the southeast corner is called Yao [yao]." ("Er Ya") · Interpretation Palace") Among the four corners, Austria is the most respected, and it is the place for indoor sacrifices.If there are ceremonial activities in the room, there is also a clear distinction between high and low seats.Indoor seating is the highest in the west (facing east), followed by sitting in the north and facing south, third in sitting in the south and facing north, and the east is the lowest (see Figure 1). "Historical Records - Xiang Yu's Benji" records that Xiang Yu held the "Hongmen Banquet" in the military tent, which is completely consistent with the order of honor and inferiority in the room: "Xiang Wang and Xiang Bo sit facing east. Fan Zengye. Peigong sits facing north, and Zhang Liang sits facing west." Xiang Yu was arrogant, so he naturally wanted to occupy the most prestigious seat.Xiang Bo was Xiang Yu's uncle, and Xiang Yu couldn't let his uncle sit in a lower position than his own, so he had to let him sit with him.Fan Zeng sat facing south, while Liu Bang sat facing north, which shows that Liu Bang's status in Xiang Yu's eyes is not as good as his own counselor.Zhang Liang is Liu Bang's subordinate, of course his status is lower, so he can only sit on the east side.This etiquette of showing superiority and inferiority in the order of seating has spread to all social classes, has been popular in ancient society, and has been passed down to modern times.

After the Qin and Han Dynasties, feudal emperors overhauled their palaces, and high-ranking officials and dignitaries also made large-scale construction projects. The palace structure became more complex and grand, and its hierarchical concept was increasingly strengthened.Even later, the scale of the building, ranging from the number of rooms and heights of the houses to the small decorative patterns and colors, was clearly stipulated according to the level of the owner's status.For example, in the Qing Dynasty, the houses where officials and people lived, except for buildings, could not use double arches and double eaves, so as not to be confused with the double eaves buildings of the imperial palace.For the residences of first- and second-rank officials, it is stipulated that there are seven rooms and nine frames in the halls, and the roofs are allowed to use patterned animal kisses, and the beams are decorated with colors. Seven frames, animal kisses are allowed, Liang Dong can be decorated with blue paint, three rooms and three frames in the main room, and black oil animal face swing tin rings on the door; from the sixth grade to the ninth grade, three rooms and seven frames in the hall, the beams are only painted with earthy yellow Decoration, a main room with three frames, and a black oil iron ring for the door.The houses of ordinary people should not exceed three rooms and five frames in total, and they should not be decorated with brackets and colorful carvings ("Laws of the Qing Dynasty" Volume 17 "Ritual Law and Ritual System").If there is overstepping, it is considered to be a breach of etiquette, and may even be punished by law.