Kowtow, from the Chinese term K璷 t鏧 (traditional Chinese: 叩頭; simplified Chinese: 叩头, Cantonese: Kau t軿h), is the act of deep respect shown by kneeling and bowing so low as to touch the head to the ground. While the phrase Kē t鏧 (磕頭) is often used in lieu of the former in modern Chinese, the meaning is somewhat altered: k璷 originally meant "knock with reverence", whereas kē has the general meaning of "touch upon (a surface)".
etc