Diet is the foundation of survival and an important place for human communication. Especially when entertaining guests, we should pay more attention to catering etiquette, from the placement of bowls and chopsticks to the end of the meal. There is also a saying about food, "if you don't put three dishes, you won't make five chopsticks and six seats." What kind of dining etiquette does it contain?
The meaning of "no three dishes, no five chopsticks and no six seats"
"Don't put three dishes in one dish" literally means that it is not suitable to put three dishes on the table. Why is there such a statement? First of all, if the family eats by themselves, there is no problem with three meals, and there is not so much pressure. But if it is a banquet for guests, the three courses will be shabby and even not enough to eat. Secondly, the meaning of "three" is not good. The homonym of "three" is "parting", but inviting people to dinner is "parting", which violates the original intention of reunion. The ancients had many norms, and banquets were definitely not suitable for reunion words.
Finally, "San" is actually related to ancient sacrificial ceremonies. Ancient people mainly used three kinds of livestock: pigs, cows and sheep. If there are three dishes on the table, guests will mistake them for sacrifices. Even if the host is unintentional, it may lead to poor dinner and even affect the friendship between the two families.
"Chopsticks don't make five" means that chopsticks can't be put in odd numbers. People in China can't use singular chopsticks, which is common sense, and the owner will definitely pay attention to it. But in addition to this meaning, "chopsticks don't make five" also implies that chopsticks should be placed neatly and not misplaced. "Five" is not a specific numerical value, but a symbolic statement.
"No six seats" means trying not to sit at a table for six people. Most ancient dining tables were square, so it was not easy to distribute guests in a square. If they are rectangular, it is difficult to distribute them, and their distribution is uneven. But this is beyond my ability. The number of guests is exactly six. What should I do? There are only six people in the family. What should I do? After the round table appeared, this problem basically did not exist, and now society does not pay attention to it.
In a word, it is reasonable not to put three dishes and chopsticks into five, which is worth learning from in modern society. However, six seats is impossible, and its implementation is unreasonable and unrealistic. So, what other dining manners were there in China ancient society?
Dining Etiquette in Ancient China
Dining etiquette in ancient China is the epitome of society, and social norms are also rooted in dining. In ancient times, men were superior to women and paid attention to hierarchical order. Then in the process of dining, especially when entertaining guests, the women at home are mainly responsible for cooking and a series of dining affairs. However, you can't eat on the table, you can only wait for the guests to finish eating. Eating at the dinner table is also the home of the elders, and the younger generation and women sit. This dining etiquette has gradually changed since modern times, and basically no longer exists. However, it is still necessary to abide by and inherit the elders to sit in the younger generation.