The full imperial form was
三跪九叩 (sān guì jiǔ kòu) — three kneelings and nine head-knockings — required of foreign envoys at the Qing court. Refusal sparked diplomatic incidents, most famously Lord Macartney's 1793 mission to the Qianlong Emperor. Abolished after 1911 in favour of bowing (
鞠躬礼).
