Then, how can "sitting" be called "sitting"?
"Sit-in" is the most ceremonial sitting posture in ancient times.
The ancient "sitting" is different from the modern "sitting". Before Qin and Han Dynasties, the concept of "sitting" was relatively broad. Sitting, squatting, kneeling and worshipping all belong to the category of sitting, which was the most ceremonial sitting posture at that time. Sitting, also known as sitting, sitting straight and kneeling, refers to this sitting posture.
Sitting is the most decent sitting posture in the early days, that is, sitting on the ground with your knees, your legs flat on the ground and your hips attached to your heels. According to textual research, meditation originates from the special posture of "sitting on a corpse" where the gods put sacrifices, and it is an authoritative posture. At that time, nobles or people with status all sat like this in public.
The same sitting posture has different "sitting postures".
"Sitting has the ability to stand up straight, feet won't fall off. Look at the balance, just sit on the classics. If you kneel down and watch, you will sit together. If you look up, you will sit silently. If the head is low, it will be low. " In today's words, sit up straight, don't lengthen or shorten your legs and don't touch the ground. Eyes straight are called "meditation"; Head slightly lower, eyes staring at the knees of the venerable person opposite, called "sit down"; Looking down at the surrounding area is no more than a few feet, which means "sitting down"; When the head is completely lowered or even the elbows are drooping, it is called "sitting low".
Jia Yi's "meditation" is actually a regular "sitting", that is, "sitting on the floor". According to the analysis, Jia Yi's Jing Rong may be a "etiquette textbook" specially written for princes. It can be seen that "how to sit" was really important at that time.
In addition to the "sitting method" on fixed occasions, there are special requirements for riding today. Before the Qin and Han Dynasties, there were two ways for people to ride cars, which were limited by their riding and standing ability.
"Sitting together" is the most casual sitting posture of the ancients.
In the pre-Qin period, it was impolite to sit or sit in disorder. Hala, an old friend of Confucius, was once scolded by Confucius for doing nothing. Once upon a time, the native land waited for Confucius with open legs, which meant "the native land was destroyed". According to the records in the Analects of Confucius, Confucius became angry on the spot after seeing it. He hit Hara's leg with a cane and scolded him: "The child is not a grandson, and he won't talk when he grows up. They are old and will never die. They are thieves. " It probably means that you are rude when you are young, but you will be a loser when you grow up. It is a pest to waste food when you are old.
In fact, in daily life, people can't all be "serious", and Confucius' curse on the countryside is obviously too "on the line". Before the Qin and Han Dynasties, in addition to ceremonial sitting, there were many daily sitting methods, such as squatting, squatting in public and so on. Squat and squat are relatively comfortable and free, which is a casual rest posture of the ancients.
"Squat" means that the soles of the feet and buttocks touch the ground and the knees are arched, which means "squat". How to get "Jiju"? Duan Yucai's Notes on Explaining Words in Qing Dynasty said: "Sit on your hips and extend your feet forward when squatting." Is the leg straight, shaped like a figure of eight, looks like a dustpan. The original "Yi" of the earth should be sitting like this.
From the shape analysis of the cultural relics unearthed from Yin Ruins in Anyang, Henan Province, squatting and squatting are actually the sitting methods of Dongyi people in Yin and Shang Dynasties. Compared with the "civilization" in the Central Plains, they naturally appear primitive and vulgar. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the native sitting method was called "Yi", and its origin lies in this.
"Sitting with both hands" The sitting posture of ancient women is opposite to "naked light"
For the most primitive symbolic meaning of crouching posture, some folklore scholars believe that it is a reflection of the ancient people's reproductive worship. This is how the frog with amazing fertility sits, so crouching is also called "frog sitting", which stands for female. This frog-shaped portrait is painted on many ancient round-bellied objects unearthed in modern archaeology.
Both squatting and squatting are easy to expose the lower body, and it is especially easy to "strip off" when stretching your legs. Mencius' wife was once seen sitting with her legs crossed like this and almost divorced. According to Han Ying's Han Shi Zhuan in the Western Han Dynasty, Han Ying wrote:
"Mencius' wife lives alone and lives in the house. Mencius went into the room and took a look. His mother said, "The woman is rude, please go." There is a reason why Mencius reacted so strongly. At that time, women wore open-backed pants and did not have the habit of wearing underwear. What happened to "Jiju"? Mencius is very moral and may not make a mountain out of a molehill and drive his wife back to her family.
It is worth noting that this sitting posture is not just a matter of "undressing" and rudeness. If someone sits like this, it's an insult to the other person. In the words of Emperor Gaozu of Historical Records, it is called "a person who is not good at things." Jing Ke knew that after the failure of stabbing the king of Qin, he was "leaning on the bar to criticise".
How can a woman sit without being rude? You can know from the origin of the word "female". "Female" is a hieroglyph. Judging from the glyphs of Oracle Bone Inscriptions and seal script, it means sitting posture: knees on the ground, feet akimbo, hands crossed, hanging in front of you. "Sitting with hands down" can prevent "naked light", which is similar to the word "female". "Mother" and "concubine" were also sitting in this way, which was the most elegant sitting posture of women at that time.
"Sitting with Hanging Feet" —— The latest sitting posture in the late Han Dynasty
Today's bed is a sleeping device, but its first function in the early days was to sit. Xu Shen's Shuo Wen Jie Zi said: "A bed is a place to sit." . Before the appearance and popularization of chairs, the ancients mainly lay on beds or mats. This kind of bed is also called sofa. Sitting on the sofa is basically the same as "sitting on the floor", except that the knees are still on the ground and the hips are on the ground. However, after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, due to the appearance of "Hu Chuang", the sitting method has undergone new changes.
The so-called "Hu Chuang" is a simple folding chair, named after it was introduced from the conference semifinals in the western regions. The poet of the Song Dynasty said in Qing Le Zuo: "The Hu bed should be turned over and oversold, and the stool should be worn and seated, and it will be weightless for a moment." Sitting on the Hu bed is very similar to modern people. The ancients called it "sitting with feet down", which was the latest sitting method at that time.
The earliest recorded celebrity who sat down with his feet was Liu Hong of the Eastern Han Dynasty. From 0755 to 79000, it was recorded that "Lingdi loved Khufu, Zhang Hu, Hu Chuang, Zuo Hu, Fan Hu, Hu Konghou, Hu Di and Hu Wu, and all the princes and ministers in Kyoto contended." Because of the emperor's love, this fashionable sitting method first became popular among the nobles in Beijing. At present, the earliest sitting statue of Hu Chuang was found in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Cave 257 of Northern Wei Dynasty, sitting on Hu Chuang.
Yang Guang, the Emperor of Yang Di in Sui Dynasty, was jealous of the Hu people and launched the "Hu removal movement". All the names with the word "Hu" have been changed. For example, the name of the cucumber that everyone often eats has been changed from "cucumber". Hu's bed was renamed "Foot Bed".
On the basis of making the bed, Li Longji's entourage made an "easy chair" for him to ride on the trip. Since then, the maternity bed has been continuously reformed, and the backrest and armrest have been slowly designed to be "leaning", so the "chair" has appeared, and
Five dynasties ago, although "Hu Chuang" appeared and "sitting with feet down" was common, "sitting on the floor" was still regarded as a noble sitting posture. For example, in the works of Yan, a painter in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong sat cross-legged instead of "hanging his feet".
During the Five Dynasties, the traditional "sitting on the sofa" and the trendy "sitting on the chair" began to go hand in hand in social occasions. These two sitting postures appeared in Gu's Autumn Banquet in Southern Tang Dynasty. After the Five Dynasties, people's sitting posture was basically unified as "sitting with their feet down"-in the sitting posture, China ancients realized "modernization" from then on.
However, the traditional sitting posture has not completely disappeared because of the popularity of "sitting with feet down". On the contrary, it is regarded as a means of keeping fit and keeping healthy. In the Song Dynasty, "sitting" even rose to a state. The famous "Walking Map" is said to have been created by Chen Tuan, a famous master of "Sleeping Power" and a Taoist figure in the Song Dynasty. According to the changes of the 24 solar terms in 12 months, different sitting postures are adopted to achieve the purpose of health preservation. Because Chen Tuan was once called "Teacher Yi Xi", there is also the name of "Chen Xiyi sitting on the map" on the rivers and lakes.
For example, in the upcoming Hanlu solar term, there is the "Hanlu September Festival Sitting Merit Map", and its sitting method is: "It is appropriate to sit in the shade, raise your arms, lean back, and knock left and right for three or five degrees every day. After 80 years, you can catch the financial express and breathe and swallow. " It is said that it can treat rheumatism, headache, hemorrhoids and other diseases, but whether it is reliable has not been studied.
This kind of "meditation" is actually the "inner alchemy" advocated by ancient alchemists, and it is also highly praised by later health experts. Gao Jiao, the author of The Night Banquet in Han Xizai in Ming Dynasty, actively advocated "Sitting Power" and compiled "Chen Tuo Sitting Power". It should be noted that this sitting method is different from Buddhist meditation, that is, "sitting on a plate" and "sitting quietly".