During the Warring States period, Lord Xinling of Wei was renowned for his love of talent and patronage of scholars, earning such fame that rival states dared not act rashly against him.
At that time, there was a reclusive sage in the State of Wei named Hou Ying, already seventy years old and living in poverty, serving as the gatekeeper of Daliang's East Gate. When Lord Xinling heard of him, he went to invite Hou Ying and offered him generous gifts. Hou Ying refused, saying, "I have cultivated my character and kept my conduct pure for decades. I cannot accept your gifts simply because I am poor and stuck guarding a gate." Lord Xinling nodded in agreement.
However, Lord Xinling deeply valued Hou Ying as a man of talent and was determined to win him over. He prepared a grand banquet, gathering all his guests. Once the guests were seated, he personally took his carriage and attendants to the East Gate to fetch Hou Ying, deliberately leaving the honored seat on the left side of the carriage empty for him.
Hou Ying saw Lord Xinling personally come to welcome him, so he straightened his tattered clothes and hat, climbed directly into the lord's carriage, and took the empty seat of honor without any polite refusal. Along the way, he deliberately instructed Lord Xinling to drive the carriage to the bustling market, where he got off to visit a friend, making Lord Xinling wait with the reins for a long time—all to test the lord's sincerity. Throughout, Lord Xinling remained as humble and earnest as ever.
At the banquet, Lord Xinling solemnly introduced Hou Ying to all the guests and personally raised his cup to toast Hou Ying.
Deeply moved by Lord Xinling's sincerity, Hou Ying finally agreed to stay and became his most honored guest.
Word of this spread quickly, and soon many talented and ambitious individuals came to pledge their allegiance to Lord Xinling. As a result, his retinue of retainers grew even larger, and his influence expanded further.
In ancient rites, the left seat was the seat of honor, with the host on the right and the guest on the left. "Vacating the left seat" signifies sincere anticipation of an honored guest, and also refers to deliberately reserving a place for someone.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Lord Xinling"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "虚左以待" came to describe how sincere anticipation of an honored guest or deliberately reserving a place for someone.