kowtow

Kowtow (traditional Chinese: 叩頭; simplified Chinese: 叩头; pinyin: Kòu tóu; Cantonese: Kau tàuh, Vietnamese: Khấu đầu) is the act of deep respect shown by kneeling and bowing so low as to have your head touching the ground. An alternative Chinese term is ketou (traditional Chinese: 磕頭; simplified Chinese: 磕头; pinyin: Kētóu); however, the meaning is somewhat altered: kòu originally meant "knock with reverence",^{[citation needed]} whereas kē has the general meaning of "touch upon (a surface)".^{[citation needed]}

In Han Chinese culture, the kowtow is the highest sign of reverence. It was widely used to show reverence for one's elders, superiors, and especially the Emperor, as well as for religious and cultural objects of worship. In modern times, usage of the kowtow has become much reduced.

Traditional usage

In Imperial Chinese protocol, the kowtow was performed before the Emperor of China. Depending on the solemnity of the situation, different grades of kowtow would be used. In the most solemn of ceremonies, for example at the coronation of a new Emperor, the Emperor's subjects would undertake the ceremony of the "three kneelings and nine kowtows", which involves kneeling from a standing position three times, and each time, performing the kowtow three times while kneeling. More usually, however, a single kowtow is sufficient.

As government officials represented the majesty of the Emperor while carrying out their duties, commoners were also required to kowtow to them in formal situations. For example, a commoner brought before a local magistrate would be required to kneel and kowtow. A commoner is then required to remain kneeling, whereas a person who has earned a degree in the Imperial examinations is permitted a seat.

Since one is required by Confucian philosophy to show great reverence to one's parents and grandparents, children may also be required to kowtow to their elderly ancestors, particularly on special occasions. For example, at a wedding, the marrying couple was traditionally required to kowtow to both sets of parents, as acknowledgment of the debt owed for their nurturing.

Confucius believed there was a natural harmony between the body and mind and therefore, whatever actions were expressed through the body would be transferred over to the mind.^{[citation needed]} Because the body is placed in a low position in the kowtow, the idea is that you will naturally convert to your mind a feeling of respect. What you do to your body has an impact on your mind. It is important to remember that respect was needed to have a good society according to the Confucian philosophy. That is why bowing was so important.

Modern usage

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The kowtow, and other traditional forms of reverence, were much maligned after the May Fourth Movement. Today, only vestiges of the traditional usage of the kowtow remain. In many situations, the standing bow has replaced the kowtow. For example, some, but not all, people would choose to kowtow before the grave of an ancestor, or while making traditional offerings to an ancestor. Direct descendants may also kowtow at the funeral of an ancestor, while others would simply bow. During a wedding, some couples may kowtow to their respective parents, though the standing bow is today more common. In extreme cases, the kowtow can be used to express profound gratitude, apology, or to beg for forgiveness.

The kowtow remains alive as part of a formal induction ceremony in certain traditional trades that involve apprenticeship or discipleship. For example, Chinese martial arts schools often require a student to kowtow to a master. Likewise, traditional performing arts often also require the kowtow.

Religion

The kowtow is often performed in groups of three before Buddhist statues and images or tombs of the dead. In Buddhism it is more commonly termed either "worship with the crown (of the head)" (頂禮 ding li) or "casting the five limbs to the earth" (五體投地 wuti tou di) - referring to the two arms, two legs and forehead. For example, in certain ceremonies, a person would perform a sequence of three sets of three kowtows - stand up and kneel down again between each set - as an extreme gesture of respect; hence the term three kneelings and nine head knockings (三跪九叩). Also, some Buddhist pilgrims would kowtow once for every three steps made during their long journeys. Often the number three referring to the Triple Gem of Buddhism, the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

Diplomacy and the West

Kowtow came into English in the early 19th century to describe the bow itself, but its meaning soon shifted to describe any abject submission or grovelling. Many westerners who first encountered the practice believed it was a sign of worship, but kowtowing does not necessarily have religious overtones in traditional Chinese culture.

Kowtow was very important in the diplomacy of China with European powers, since it was required to come into the presence of the Emperor of China, but it meant submission before him. The British embassies of George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney (1793) and William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst (1816) were foiled since kowtowing would mean acknowledging their King as a subject of the Emperor. 

Dutch ambassador Isaac Titsingh did not refuse to kowtow during the course of his 1794-1795 mission to the Imperial Court of Emperor Qianlong.^[1] The members of the Titsingh mission, including Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest and Chrétien-Louis-Joseph de Guignes, made every effort to conform with the demands of the complex Imperial court etiquette. Neither the Chinese nor these Europeans could have known that this would be the last appearance by any Western ambassador at the Imperial court until after the Opium Wars of the next century.

The kowtow was often performed in intra-Asian diplomatic relations as well. According to Annals of Joseon Dynasty, in 1596, Japanese Kampaku Toyotomi Hideyoshi who unified Japan had to kneel five times on the ground and hit his head three times on the ground (五拜三叩头礼), to show his vassal status to the Chinese Ming Dynasty.^[2]

See also

• Chinese social relations
• Culture of China
• Finger kowtow: 1, 2
• Posture emoticons
• Foot washing -- another act of extreme humility
• John Moyse
• Salute
• Sifu
• Sujud
• Orz
• Dogeza
• Proskynesis

Notes

References

• Rockhill, William Woodville. "Diplomatic Missions to the Court of China: The Kotow Question I," The American Historical Review, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Apr., 1897), pp. 427–442.
• Rockhill, William Woodville. "Diplomatic Missions to the Court of China: The Kotow Question II," The American Historical Review, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Jul., 1897), pp. 627–643.

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