中國傳統文化 第16期:宴席禮

The Etiquette of Chinese Banquets

宴席禮儀

China has long been known as the “land of ceremony and propriety”.

中國自古以來就是一個文明禮儀之邦。

Consequently, there are certain manners that should be observed at banquets or formal dinners.

這種“文明禮儀”表現在飲食文化上，便出現了諸多的宴席禮節。

First，seat order.

首先是宴席的座次。

Chinese people attach great importance to the seating order at banquets or formal dinners.

中國人非常講究“長幼有序”，形成了嚴格講究宴席座次的傳統禮俗。

In the ancient times, at a banquet, people sat in a circle on the ground.

古代酒席一般是席地圍坐。

Their seating arrangements are unknown，but it is certain that they were arranged in a certain order.

其座次的順序尚不得而知，但肯定是有區別的。

It was recorded that the most honorable guest sat facing the east, the next important guest sat facing the south, next facing the north and the last facing the west.

據資料記載:古代宴席以坐西面東爲尊位，坐北面南次之，坐南面北又次之，坐東面西爲下座。

Even today at formal banquets people are arranged in a certain order, but in different areas, there are different rules concerning seat order.

即使是現在，日常生活中稍微正規一些的場合，人們對酒席上的座次仍然有嚴格的要求，但各地的習慣卻並不一樣。

In the past, Chinese people often sat around a so-called eight-immortal table (a table with a rectangular top, normally with eight seats around it) to dine.

過去，中國民間喜歡用正方形的八仙桌。

In the north, the seat order was arranged this way：

北方八仙桌的座次一般是:

the two seats facing the door were the most important, the host sat on the right and the most honorable guest on the left；

面門的兩個座位爲正座，其中右位爲主客，左位是主人；

opposite these two seats sat two specially invited guests who were supposed to help entertain the main guests；

正座的對面（即背門的兩個座位）爲陪座,通常是晚輩或主人家找來的陪客；

the other people, guests or specially invited guests, were arranged, according to their age, to sit on the other two sides of the table.

左右兩側爲側座,或客人或陪客，大多依年齡長幼順序而坐。

The two seats closer to the host and most honorable guest were considered more important than theother two seats.

靠近正座者爲上，靠近陪座者爲下。

In the south, the seat order was a bit different.

南方的八仙桌座次略有不同。

Apart from seat order, there are also rules regarding the order of serving dishes and the way dishes are set on the table.

其次是上菜的順序和擺菜的位置。所謂上菜的順序，就是指菜餚依次端上宴席的次序。實際上，宴席上的“出菜”有廣義、狹義之分。

Dishes, in the broad sense, refer to wine (or liquor), meat and vegetable dishes and grain food； in the narrow sense, it only refers to meat and vegetable dishes.

廣義的出菜，是指酒、葷素菜、飯的上席順序，狹義的出菜則僅指菜餚的上席順序。

The rules have undergone some changes.

上菜的規矩有很大的變化。

In the ancient times, grain food was served before wine, while today wine and meat and vegetable dishes are served before grain food.

在古代，先上飯後上酒，而現在則是先上酒、菜，後上飯。

For meat and vegetable dishes, there are cold dishes and hot dishes.

葷素菜分爲涼菜和熱菜兩種。

Normally cold dishes are served before hot ones, dry dishes are served before soup.

通常先上涼菜，後上熱菜；先吃乾的，後喝稀的。

Hot dishes are the main courses； usually there are even numbers of hot dishes, 4, 6 or 8.

熱菜爲主，一般爲雙數，如4個、6個、8個。

Sometimes there could be 16 or 32 dishes.

有時甚至16個，或者32個。

The most sumptuous feast—Man Han Feast, has as many as 108 is usually the last dish.

最豪華的宴席——“滿漢全席”有108道菜。湯一般是最後上。

For the way dishes are set on the table, there are also rules.

端上席的菜餚擺放在宴席的什麼位置，也是中國宴席非常講究的一個內容。

For example, newly served dishes are always put near the most honorable guest； when whole fish, whole chicken or whole duck is served, the dish is normally put in such a way that the head is towards the most honorable guest. This is a way to show respect to the most honorable guest.

比如：新上的菜都要放在靠主席或主賓的位置；上整雞、整鴨、整魚時，一般將頭部衝着主席或主賓，以示尊敬等等。

In order to show their respect and hospitality, Chinese hosts often help the guests to the dishes.

在中國，爲了體現對客人的尊敬和好客，主人通常給客人夾菜。

For hygiene’s sake, when doing this, they usually use an extra pair of chopsticks or spoon put on the table.

出於衛生，餐桌上擺有備用的筷子和勺子。