| We try to discuss the honour and humble connotation of orientation words of Ancient Chinese in the pre-Qin period and Qin and Han Dynasties, including "East", "South", "West", "North", "Right" and "Left". Because of the constantly controversy about the honour and humble connotation of "Right" and "Left" , this paper will focus on it.This paper is divided into four parts. Part one is introduction, explained the research methods, current situation and significance of this issue. Part two analysed and summarized the honour and humbleness of orientation words involved in the rite books from different aspects, such as standing, seat-setting, wedding,sacrifice rite, funeral tradition , riding and so on. Then analysed the reason caused it . Part three mainly verified the difference of honour and humbleness of of "Right" and "Left" about official system and highly variable military establishment in the different Leud States of Spring and Autumn and Warring states period. And we contrasted it to the views in the rite books. We considered that the most of kingdoms in Central Plains regard "right" as honour while the Chu Kingdom regard "left" as honour; the official system of Song Kingdom is highly variable; Qin Kingdom honoured "right" in army while honoured "left" in civil officer system. Part four mainly analyzed the connotation of honour and humbleness of Han Dynasty's officers and seats seating and some new words by then. We concluded that Xi-Han Dynasty honoured "right" in civil officer system while it honoured "left" in army; and the custom of Han Dynasty regarded "right" as honour while the contemporaneous custom of Xiongnu regard "left" as honour. |
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