kneel and kowtow; prostrate oneself
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb
to kneel and kowtow; to prostrate oneself on the ground
archaicRefers to the traditional Chinese etiquette of kneeling on the ground and touching the forehead to the ground to show deep respect. Now rarely used except in traditional ceremonies, religious contexts, or historical settings.
Gǔ古
dài代
dà大
chén臣
jiàn见
dào到
huáng皇
dì帝
bì必
xū须
guì跪
bài拜
。
Ancient ministers had to kneel and kowtow when meeting the emperor.
Zài在
chuán传
tǒng统
de的
hūn婚
lǐ礼
yí仪
shì式
shàng上
，
xīn新
rén人
yào要
xiàng向
fù父
mǔ母
guì跪
bài拜
。
In traditional wedding ceremonies, the bride and groom must kneel and kowtow to their parents.
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Zhè这
zuò座
sì寺
miào庙
lǐ里
，
réng仍
rán然
kě可
yǐ以
kàn看
dào到
xìn信
tú徒
men们
qián虔
chéng诚
de地
guì跪
bài拜
。
In this temple, one can still see believers kneeling and kowtowing devoutly.
Zhè这
zhǒng种
guì跪
bài拜
de的
lǐ礼
jié节
zài在
xiàn现
dài代
Zhōng中
guó国
yǐ已
jīng经
hěn很
shǎo少
shǐ使
yòng用
le了
。
This etiquette of kneeling and kowtowing is rarely used in modern China.