Kowtowing

Kowtow, from the Chinese term kòu tóu (Cantonese: kau tàuh) (叩頭), is the act of deep respect shown by kneeling and bowing so low as to touch the head to the ground. While the phrase kè tóu (磕頭) is often used in lieu of the former in modern Chinese, the meaning is somewhat altered: kòu originally meant "knock with reverence", whereas kè has the general meaning of "touch upon (a surface)". Download high resolution version (534x845, 131 KB)Kowtowing in an Imperial court This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (534x845, 131 KB)Kowtowing in an Imperial court This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Vernacular Chinese (pinyin: báihuà; Wade-Giles: paihua) is a style or register of the written Chinese language essentially modeled after the spoken language and associated with Standard Mandarin. ...

In imperial Chinese protocol, the kowtow was performed before the emperor. Despite common conceptions, an Imperial Courtier only has to kowtow to the Emperor once, not nine times as described. Current Chinese etiquette does not contain any situations in which the kowtow is regularly performed in front of a living human being, although it may occur in rare and extreme cases where one is begging for forgiveness or offering an extreme apology, or showing respect in traditional funerals. Traditional Chinese martial arts schools employ the ritual in their discipleship ceremonies. The kowtow is often performed in groups of three before Buddhist statues and images or tombs of the dead. A sequence of three sets of kowtow was an extreme gesture of respect. The person would stand up and kneel down again between each set, hence the term three kneelings and nine kowtows (三跪九叩). The emperor or huangdi (皇帝 in pinyin: huang2 di4) of China was the head of government and head of state of China from the Qin dynasty in 221 B.C. until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. ... Etiquette is the code that governs the expectations of social behavior, the conventional norm. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kung fu. ... A Disciple (from the Latin discipulus, a pupil) is one who receives instruction from another; a scholar; a learner; especially, a follower who has learned to believe in the truth of the doctrine of his teacher, and implies that the pupil is under the discipline of, and understands, his teacher... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by...

"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. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Kowtow was very important in the diplomacy of China with European powers, since it was required to come into the presence of the Emperor, but it meant submission before him. Dutch traders had no problem to kowtow since they represented themselves, but 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. George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney (14 May 1737 - 31 May 1806) was a British statesman, colonial administrator and diplomat. ... William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst and 2nd Baron Amherst (1773 - 1857), was Governor-General of India. ...

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, while on a visit to China in 1985, accidentally performed what looked very much like a kowtow when she tripped and fell forward in front of a portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong. A prime minister may be either: chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives of... The Right Honourable Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925), is a British stateswoman. ... ▶(?) (December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976; Mao Tse-tung in Wade-Giles) was the chairman of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from 1943 and the chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from 1945 until his death. ...

See also

• salute
• Chinese social relations
• Finger kowtow: 1,2
• Sifu