Which is up in the left or right direction? What about north and south?

Category: Culture/Art >> Folk Tradition

Problem description:

In China, which direction is the positive direction and is more noble?

Analysis:

Left, right, up and down (direction and inferiority)

In our country’s feudal society, many things are distinguished by superiority and inferiority. Even east, west, north, south, front, back, left, and right are no exception.

In ancient times, the south was regarded as the supreme, while the north symbolized failure and surrender. Palaces and temples all faced due south, and the emperor's seat always faced south. When he became the emperor, he was said to be "honored by the south"; when he lost a battle or surrendered to others, he was "defeated" and "called his subject by the north." It is precisely because the direction of due south is so honored that in the past, when people built houses, no one dared to take the direction of due south of the meridian. They always moved east or west to avoid violating taboos and being punished.

In addition to the south being superior and the north being inferior, in the direction of east and west, the ancients also put the east first and the west second. The residences of the queen and concubines are divided into the East Palace and the West Palace. The East Palace is the largest and the West Palace is the second. The Ancestral Temple, where the ancestors' tablets are enshrined, should be built on the east side of the palace. The words "dongjia" and "landlord" in modern Chinese also come from this.

In addition to east, west, north, and south, the front, back, left, and right directions also have distinctions of superiority and inferiority. The ancient emperor was the supreme king. He sat facing south and facing north, with the east on his left. Therefore, while advocating the East, "Left" also became noble. During the Three Kingdoms period, Soochow occupied Jiangdong, also known as Jiangzuo. The etiquette system of Wen Zuo and Wu You, the concept of men on the left and women on the right, etc., are all reflections of respect for the left, and some customs even continue to this day.

For example: The room is the most important part of the residential courtyard. The courtyard houses in Beijing are all bungalows, not buildings. The most important room in the courtyard is the main room. The main room is the north room, also called the upper room or main room. Since the ancestral tablets and the main room are located in the middle of the main room, the main room has the highest status in the whole house. The main room's bay, depth and height are larger than other rooms in size. The main room usually has three rooms, with the middle room being the ancestral hall. Grandparents often live in the secondary room on the east side, and parents live in the secondary room on the west side. In addition, the secondary rooms on the left (east) side of the main room in old houses and the smaller rooms on the right are larger than those on the right. The one on the (west) side is slightly larger, which is the result of the traditional custom of "left is up". In the old days, people had the custom of respecting the left. We often say that "the ancient temple of Zuo Zu", "Wen Zuo Wu You", "men left and women right" are all reflections of respecting the left.