Food for the people, the first need is to survive, eat is to be placed on the first of many needs. In ancient times, there is no furniture, the first people on the ground for cooking, burying pots and pans to make food, cooking utensils are so early than furniture and was born. Cooking, dining, including many activities were initially taken near the ground posture, sitting on the ground became the general behavior of that era. As for those low cases, of course, is in line with the needs of the posture near the ground. The emergence of agriculture contributed to the further stabilization of the formation of the family, which also triggered the development of furniture, the earliest of which was inevitably related to food.

Speaking of the ancient sitting

"Seat" is what we call the mat, the ancients had a lot of words can be split to understand, but today, but mixed together, such as the proverb often mentioned: the world does not have a feast. "Feast" specified is two things, the feast refers to the indoor floor of the bottom of the mat, somewhat similar to our wooden floor today, and sitting at our feet square that is called the seat, the size of the seat is generally one meter square, the feet of this piece of the mat to sit can not be placed randomly, must be regular and flat, as the so-called, "Analects - Xiangpang" explains: "mat", "the seat", "the seat", "the seat", "the seat", "the seat", "the seat", "the seat", "the seat", "the seat", "the seat", "the seat". The countryside party" in the explanation: the seat is not correct, do not sit. Our ancestors are still very picky, "seat is right" is an important way to show solemnity. But here is another question. What does it mean to be upright? What do we use as a reference? The reference is within the room and must be parallel to the walls. Of course, the mat doesn't have to be a single one, but can have an additional layer, which we call a heavy mat.

"Sitting" and our current sense of sitting is not the same, the current sense of sitting is in the late Eastern Han Dynasty after the introduction of Hu beds and chairs into the Central Plains, with the application of some high tables and chairs, the people began to sit down legs. To understand the earlier period of the sitting posture of the ancestors, first of all, from the standing posture, the first of people's daily life in the walking, sitting and standing and other appearance of grooming systematic norms is the Western Han scholar Jia Yi, this is the time when Confucianism began to gradually prevalent era.

In fact, before Jia Yi in the Western Han Dynasty, there were already many expressions of standing and sitting posture in the literature, mainly concentrated in the Book of Rites - Qu Li: "Don't be arrogant, don't be limp, don't sit on your feet, don't sleep in your bed, don't be ambulatory" (don't sway around when you walk and look arrogant; don't put your weight on one foot, like a limp. On a foot above, like a limp standing; sitting there when not like a child buttocks to the ground, legs forward to sit apart; sleep do not lie on your back to sleep, posture is not very elegant look - it seems that I will have to change the sleeping posture, sometimes feel back pain, simply lie on your back to sleep); "Standing must be square, not listening" (when listening to the lecture must be upright, do not crookedly listen to people); "Room not Xiang, and sit not cross-brachial. Granted to stand, not to kneel, granted to sit, not to stand" (when walking indoors one must not fling one's bladder and spread one's arms wide; when sitting side by side with others one must not cross one's arms; when others give something to you standing up, then you don't have to sit down, but when others give you something sitting down, then you must not stand up to receive what they give you),

The New Book - Rongjing" in the record it: sitting with the capacity of the Jingli, calf does not differ and foot does not fall, the view of the balance is said to be sitting by the Jingli, slightly bent down to look at the knees of the honored one is said to be **** sitting, looking up to see out of the unusual within the said Su sitting, abolition of the head of the low elbow is said to be humble sitting.

When looking at the sitting position, in addition to basically the upper body in line with the requirements of the standing position, the most important thing is the eyes, if you are sitting by, then the eyes look at the other side of the exchange of flat eyes, attention to their own (if you put in the present view, this is the communication with people in the most easy to establish a means of trust); if the **** stand, then you have to look at each other's knees; the most special is the Su sitting, and is not The most special is the solemn sitting, and not to the previously seen continue to bend down low, but tilted head way, but not just tilted, can not be excessive; if it is low hanging elbows, then it is the humble sitting. But the above four sitting posture has a most basic requirement, that is, the buttocks must fall on the heels, feet face down. Put now the average person can not stand, a long time, it is easy to acid numbness, even if some of the ancient literati so long kneeling, but also feel uncomfortable, such as the six dynasty bamboo Jikang seven sages resolutely do not go to do the official, one of the important reasons is that he was afraid of such a teacher is sitting in a critical position, "sitting in a critical moment, the paralysis shall not be shaken"! The reason is that he is afraid of such a teacher sitting in a serious and dangerous position, "sitting in a moment of danger, paralysis shall not shake", sitting to the leg numbness, but also dare not go to relax casually, oh, some other day we have time to try to see in their own bed.