From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the commuting time was basically the same, starting at six or seven in the morning and getting off work at three or four in the afternoon.

Working hours are what the ancients called "Shi Mao" (about 5: 00 a.m. to 7: 00 a.m.), and now the word "Mao Mao" comes from this.

Like now, the commuting time of ancient people is divided into daylight saving time and winter time. Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty stipulated six o'clock in the morning in spring and summer and seven o'clock in autumn and winter. In the Qing Dynasty, the Regulations on the Punishment of the Sixth Division of the Imperial Order also stipulated that the unified off-duty time for Beijing officials was Shen Zheng after the vernal equinox (around 4 pm) and the chef after the autumnal equinox (around 3 pm). Only at that time, it was not called off duty, but called "scattered value" or "scattered official". Shen Mingzhou's "The Old Monk Drinks in the Quiet Room at dusk": "The drizzle is like sand, and the government in the city has dispersed." Here, "fainting" and "leaving my office" mean getting off work at night.