In feudal officialdom, rank is based on rank size, and rank is expressed by direction. For example, when the emperor meets his ministers, the most distinguished emperor's seat faces south. Therefore, in ancient times, emperors were often called "South" and princes were often called "North".

Ministers generally sit facing north and are arranged from east to west according to their official positions. In this way, those with high official positions occupy the right and those with low official positions occupy the left, which is also the truth of "right is the top" in ancient times. In ancient China, aristocratic houses were generally hall-room structures, with the front hall facing south and the back hall facing south. The etiquette activities held in the class are "south"; And indoors, it is "eastward".

This is because the room is generally rectangular, long from east to west and narrow from north to south, so the most respected seat in the room is west, followed by north, south, south and north, and finally east and west. Because many daily activities are generally carried out indoors, the influence of this indoor politeness level is more extensive.

Round table seat

Round table has become a popular dining table style in hotels and restaurants since the middle of Qing Dynasty, and it is also widely used in today's families, especially in catering industry and government canteens. Its seat position generally depends on the orientation and decoration design style of the restaurant or room, or the orientation and sunrise of the door, or the center of gravity and prominent position reflected in the design and decoration style of the hall and room.

Usually when the waiter sets the table, the mouth cloth is folded into the shape of flowers and birds, and the first shape will be very eye-catching, so that people can know it at a glance. For grand banquets, seat tags (seat labels) are often placed in front of each table, and the table number of the banquet is indicated on the invitation. In this way, it is not easy to make mistakes, whether it is the master of ceremonies or sitting in the right place according to the picture.