Modern people are used to having three meals a day. In fact, before Qin and Han Dynasties, people only ate two meals a day. Because agriculture is underdeveloped and food is limited, even two meals should be treated as people. Mozi Miscellaneous Harvest says that soldiers have two meals a day, and their food intake is divided into five categories. The first meal is called "Chao Shi" or "Li" and is eaten when the sun reaches the southeast (corner). The second meal is called "Nian" or "Shi" and is eaten around 4 pm. For the time of eating, the ancients said that "food is irregular" (The Analects of Confucius). Eating when you shouldn't eat is considered as a polite behavior or a special reward. For example, Records of Historical Records of Xiang Yu records that Xiang Yu heard that Liu Bang wanted Wang Guanzhong, and in a rage, he ordered "rewarding soldiers every day" to boost morale.
After the Han Dynasty, two meals a day gradually became three or four meals. And the three meals are divided into breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast, called cooler in Han dynasty, refers to snacks used after getting up and washing in the morning. In the Tang dynasty, cold weapons began to have the name of heart. "Notes on Neng Gai Zhai" said: "The secular case takes morning food as a snack, which has been said since the Tang Dynasty." Up to now, breakfast is still called breakfast in many areas of our country. Lunch was once called "lunch" or "bento" by the ancients.
When you eat two meals a day, people think that "saints and people plow and eat, and they start with food" (Mencius Teng Wengong). If you eat food, it means the day is over. Today, people often use the word "three meals a day" to express different feelings about time, including those who cherish time.