Kowtow
The deep Chinese bow with forehead to the ground, a mark of the greatest respect.
Also: ketou
The kowtow is a bow in which the person kneels and touches the forehead to the ground, once, three times or nine times. In imperial China it was the form of address to the emperor, and it is still used in a few contexts: before ancestors and the dead, to parents on certain occasions and to a teacher at a formal initiation. It was also performed at weddings. In modern China, it is rare in daily life, but retains its meaning in rites of mourning and reverence. In Korea a similar full prostration, keunjeol, is used at Seollal and funerals.
Region: East Asia