The fist-hugging ceremony is a kind of ancient Chinese arching ceremony, which is the ceremony performed by the ancient Han people when they met. There is a record in the Analects that "the sub-road arches and stands", and the "arch" here is the arch ceremony. Ancient China emphasized the indoctrination of liturgy, and the Zhou Gong in the early Western Zhou Dynasty formulated a thoughtful and meticulous etiquette system, known as the Zhou Li.
Zhou Li is mainly embodied in the three classics of "Zhou Li", "Liturgy" and "Liturgy", of which "Liturgy" is a work that regulates people's etiquette and polite behavior in daily life. Among them, it is stipulated that the ceremony to be performed when the soldier meets the soldier is the bow ceremony, also known as the ceremony. The ancients recorded this action, but it is not detailed.
According to the analysis, the arching ceremony at that time was to hold the hands together, that is, to extend the hands, the left hand was outside, and the right hand was raised to the chest under the jaw, which was the arch ceremony. The meaning of extending the hand is to tell the other party that there is no weapon in his hand, and the reason why the left hand is outside and the right hand is inside, the ancients took the left as the auspicious and the right as the murderer.
It is mainly Lao Tzu who said in the thirty-first chapter of the Tao Te Ching that "a gentleman is noble on the left, and a soldier is expensive", "Auspicious things are still left, and murderous things are still right". Therefore, the ancients were more convinced of the left as the auspicious, and there were some changes in later generations. But the mainstream is still left-oriented. Therefore, when performing the ritual, the left hand is on the outside, showing respect for others.
This is generally the case, if you encounter a murder, the left and right hands should be exchanged when performing the salute to adapt to different occasions. This is the handicap of the literati. So what is their military salute to the military generals?
At this time, it is the two hands holding the fist, the left hand holding the right fist, this is the military salute of the Zhou Dynasty. This ritual was inherited by later generations of martial arts practitioners, and eventually developed into a common fist-hugging ritual.
So, why did such a popular etiquette from the military later become a popular greeting ceremony among the people? This must be analyzed from the context of historical development.
In ancient times, wars were no less than today, and the troops participating in the war were all armies that received zhou ceremonies, and the fist-hugging ceremony became the most popular etiquette in the Spring and Autumn Period and even in the Warring States period. Hundreds of years of scuffle, so that this etiquette was promoted to all parts of the country with the army, many generals are in high positions, and a large number of scattered soldiers returned to their hometowns, they will march to the military salute, and has formed a habit that is difficult to change, so the military salute has gone to the people and is gradually accepted by people.
After that, the war continued unceasingly, and this kind of fist-hugging ceremony was generally accepted by the military and civilians from all walks of life and has been handed down. In modern times, the Qing Dynasty was a horseback nation that has always been martial, and the folk generally practiced the fist hugging ceremony, coupled with internal and external troubles, frequent wars, and the fist hugging ceremony is still popular.
However, with the influence and affinity of the European wind and rain, the handshake ceremony began to be gradually accepted by the people. However, on specific occasions, the boxing ceremony still has a strong vitality, such as in the martial arts world, martial arts athletes must perform the fist hugging ceremony when participating in the competition. This is because the martial arts community and the army have deep roots and close ties, and many martial arts masters were the leaders of the army during the war years.
Moreover, after the war, many generals with high martial arts skills often maintained close contact with the martial arts community. Therefore, the fist-hugging ceremony is more popular in the martial arts world. Practicing martial arts and joining the army are very dangerous, so the boxing ceremony has always adhered to the rule of holding the right fist with the left hand, which is also a blessing for oneself and others, and I hope that everyone can be auspicious.