840 COBBAN SOCIAL CUSTOMS. principal dishes ; for those things possessing (animal) life are the immediate product of heaven, and are, therefore, of the Yang * (or positive) principle ; and the less common kinds are the most valuable for sacrifice. Bien and Dow are wooden trays to contain the produce of the earth (fruit, grain, and vegetables). These are the Yin (negative) principle, and must be laid out with more than a single specimen of each. Other plates are provided, with varieties of food, fruit, spirits, and jwa/n. "(■ The serving-man places the fruit vessel to the east of the Lingchwang, Spirit-Bed, on the outer edge of the table ; the plates containing the piece of meat, the boiled vegetables, sauce, meat-soup, uncooked vegetables, are arranged inside the fruit in one row. The third row is, meantime, left an empty space, to be filled with the jwcm when the "spirit" descends J to eat To the north of the Bed the spirit-cup is placed, with a spoon beside it ; this is on the west side of the table ; a plate of vinegar, with another spoon on its own plate, is on the east side, forming the first row with the spirit-cup. The flagon containing the spirits is at the south-east comer of the Bed. The chanter produces the Shunjoo, opens the shrine exposing the Shunjoo to view, and places it on the left of the bed. All below the Shangjoo enter the room, and weep and wail; the Shangjoo, with his brothers, stands outside holding his staE These, with the family man, who is to act as the "priest," or offerer of sacrifice, enter the house all together.
- Acoording to Chinese teleology, the limitless produced the great beginning; the
great beginning produced the pang and yin, — the positive and negative, or active and passive principles, — the type of which is the male and female; the former being yajig, the latter yiTU Heaven is also pang (sun, rain, &c.), the earth is pin. From this yang and yin acting and reacting upon each other came all life, animal and vegetable. t Jtoan is a collection of dishes of meat, fish, flour, biscuit, soup with meat in it, and rice, each on a separate dish. t The spirit is supposed to descend on the burning of incense and paper, and to begin to eat the food already on the table. A feast in China, reversing western custom, as in almost everything, begins with the fruit, and finishes with light soup and rice.
