"There are no three dishes on the table, and six people should not sit on the turtle table" is a common saying about food etiquette in ancient China culture. When entertaining guests, you can't just put three dishes on the table. If there are six people at the dinner table, don't make a turtle-shaped mat, that is, don't sit in the shape of a turtle. This is a very important way to entertain guests, not just casually, but with deep attention.

First of all, the three dishes on the table have no source. In ancient China, people thought that only heaven and earth could afford the number three, and only nature could afford it. For example, when the ancients offered sacrifices, many forms were observed according to the number three. When the ancients burned incense in the incense burner, they also inserted three incense sticks. Therefore, the ancients thought that the word "three" belonged to heaven and earth, and ordinary people couldn't afford even three dishes to eat, which was a disrespect for heaven and earth.

Let's talk about the reasons why six people don't sit in the tortoise seat. This is also very particular. For example, six people eat at a long table. If four people sit on both sides of the table, then two people sit at the head of the table and one person sits at the end of the table, it just forms the shape of a turtle. The four people sitting on both sides are the hands and feet of the tortoise, and the two people sitting at both ends are the head and tail of the tortoise. In the eyes of the ancients, this is disrespectful to the host who entertained the guests, as if calling the host a turtle. And in fact, people don't sit like this now, mainly because it is inconvenient for people at both ends to eat with food. Of course, modern people and ancient people actually have the same idea.

This sentence is only one aspect of China's hospitality in ancient times, and there is still a lot of knowledge about hospitality in ancient times.