What you see above is explained by LettersofNote.com:
As far back as the 9th Century, the beautifully named ‘Dunhuang Bureau of Etiquette’ insisted that local officials use the following letter template (dated 856) when sending apologies to offended dinner hosts. The letter was discovered, alongside thousands of other documents, in a sealed cave library in western China.
LettersofNote’s translation (bolds mine):
Yesterday, having drunk too much, I was intoxicated as to pass all bounds; but none of the rude and coarse language I used was uttered in a conscious state. The next morning, after hearing others speak on the subject, I realised what had happened, whereupon I was overwhelmed with confusion and ready to sink into the earth with shame.
According to Lettersofnote, “The guilty party would copy the template text, enter the dinner host’s name, sign the letter and then deliver with head bowed.”
I miss the olden days. Thanks for the heads-up, MetaFilter.
Can I order about a dozen of those?
So lobbyists have been wining and dining boorish government officials for centuries, but everyone formerly was much more refined and dignified about the inevitable lapses of decorum.
Oddly, though, nothing about snorting blow off hookers’ backsides…
I’ve never apologized for being drunk in my life. Which is not to say that there haven’t been times when I probably should have. Usually, though, everybody I’m with is at least as drunk as I am.
geez, thats just barely a shame spiral; hell, without nudity and crying thats just any ol’ night.
the form letter approach is a nice touch, though.
Or you could just use this:
http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/1141/…
Ancient Chinese Apologies should be an iPhone app.
Maybe Microsoft can add the translated version as a letter template in the next iteration of Word, with a suitably blurry/crooked font.
wow.
I can think of about 6 separate instances where I could have used this to apologize to people (and one tree)…
Lindy West, ARE YOU LISTENING?
*gong*
Just goes to show that there is still so much we can learn from the classical Chinese…