The marriage system in ancient my country was basically established and fixed through the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, especially the Zhou dynasty, and further developed in the Qin and Han dynasties.

1. Marriage age

The ancients advocated late marriage and believed that one must wait until sexual function is sound and mature before getting married. Although the previous chapter mentioned that "Huangdi Nei Jing·Su Wen·Ancient Innocence Theory" said that women begin to menstruate on the 27th day of the lunar month, that is, when they are fourteen years old; men do not begin to have spermatorrhea until the 28th day of the lunar month, that is, when they are sixteen years old. If this When "yin and yang are in harmony" (that is, sexual intercourse), there is a possibility of having a child. However, the sexual function is not fully mature at this time, and the child has not yet entered the appropriate age for marriage. A woman has to wait until she is three years old

before she can achieve "even kidney qi, so her real teeth are born and grow." It is strong, so the real teeth are very long.” The so-called "kidney qi is average" means that the sexual organs and sexual functions have developed in a balanced and normal manner, and the sexual organs and sexual functions are relatively mature; the so-called "real teeth are born with long poles" refers to the last tooth of a person, the "terminal tooth" Growing out also means that the human body is fully developed.

This idea had a great influence on later generations. This issue was raised in many ancient books, and was also emphasized in many academic and medical books in the Han Dynasty, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.

However, in the Han Dynasty, the theory of "men marry when they are thirty and women marry when they are twenty" has suffered some impacts in practice, and some of them no longer work. For example, "Lunheng·Qi Shi Pian" says: "Although the "Rites" states that men should be married at thirty and women should be married at twenty, the legal system may not be implemented. Why should it be effective? It is not followed now."

This situation has a lot to do with the development of feudal society. In feudal society, one household is the unit of production. If a man marries early, the labor force will be added to the family earlier, which seems to be beneficial to the development of household production. In addition, the feudal patriarchal system attaches great importance to heirs. If a man marries early, he may To have a son, "to be blessed early". Therefore, although some knowledgeable people oppose this phenomenon of early marriage, they have little effect. For example, a scholar named Wang Ji in the Han Dynasty said: "Husbands

women are the outline of human relations and the beauty of longevity. Marrying in the secular world is too early, and you don't know the way to be a father. If you have children, you must educate them. Without knowledge, people will die prematurely.

Many phenomena in social life and many folk practices are derived from the needs of economic development. They are very real issues with strong practicality; and scientific theory Exploring the laws of the development of things has a strong sense of predictability. There are often contradictions between prediction and reality. Advocating late marriage and childbearing, and promoting fewer and fewer children will encounter such problems. On the one hand, education is needed, but the most fundamental thing is. It still needs to be completely solved economically, which of course will not happen overnight

The rise of early marriage in the Han Dynasty affected both the royal family and the people. Check the "Book of Han". , "Book of the Later Han Dynasty", men were married for the first time from fifteen to eighteen years old. For example, "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Lingdi Ji": "In April of the fourth year of Jianning, Guichou established the noble Song family as the queen. "Emperor Ling ascended the throne in the first year of Jianning, and he was twelve years old, so he was fifteen when he got married. "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Records of Emperor Huan": "On the seventh day of autumn in the first year of Jianhe, Queen Liang was established. "Emperor Huan ascended the throne at the age of fifteen, and he should have been sixteen when he got married. The stele of the Xu family's birth record of Guangyan's mother in the fifteenth year of "Li Shi" says: "Accepting the grandson is Guangyan. Take it for granted. At the age of eighteen, he married Mrs. Xu. "

Looking at "Hanshu" and "Houhanshu", it is found that women get married from thirteen to nineteen years old. For example, "Houhanshu·Zhaodema Queen Chronicles": "Hou Cong's brother Yan Feeling extremely worried and angry, Mrs. Bai refused to marry the Dou family and asked to be admitted to the female court, so she was selected into the Taiwang Palace at the age of thirteen. "Book of Han·Biography of Wife's Relatives": "Emperor Xuan asked for his grandmother Wang's wife. Wang's family was originally from Liwuping Township, Zhuo County. She was fourteen years old and married Wang Geng, a fellow villager. "The Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of Cao Shishu's Wife": "There are seven precepts for being a daughter. The words are: I am stupid and dark, and I am insensitive. I am favored by my ancestors and rely on my mother's training." At the age of fourteen, he held a broom for the Cao family. "The ancient poem "The Peacock Flies Southeast": "When you marry at the age of seventeen, your heart will always be filled with sorrow. "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of Queen Guanglieyin": "In June of the first year of Gengshi, Suinai came to Wanchengdangli, and she was nineteen years old. ”

What needs to be pointed out is that the age calculated by the ancients is based on the old Chinese custom. That is, one year old is counted as a newborn, and two years old is counted as a year old, so the chronological age is even less than the above. One year old.

When men are matched, it is common for the male to be slightly older than the female.

For example, "Book of Han Huo Guang Biography": "Guang's eldest daughter was married to the son of Jie (Shangguan Jie). She had a daughter, and her age matched the emperor (Emperor Zhao). Because of the emperor's sister, E-yi, Jie had a daughter in the harem, named Jieyu. "After a month, she was established as the queen." "Hanshu: Wife's Biography of Xiaozhao Shangguan": "When Emperor Zhao was established, he was eight years old, and An's daughter became Jieyu. After a month, she was established as the queen, and she was just six years old." These two paragraphs illustrate that the two-year age difference between men and women means they are "matched." The same is true among the people. "Book of the Later Han Dynasty·Xunli·Ren Yanzhuan" says: "The people of Luoyue have no marriage rituals. Yan Nai moved the book to the county, and each made the men between 20 and 50 years old, and the women between 15 and 40 years old. More than 2,000 people were matched by age and married at the same time."

2. Marriage channels

In the Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, because it was not far from ancient times. Although it is still far away, men and women still have a certain degree of autonomy in marriage, but the order of parents has been increasingly strengthened. The custom of "running without restraint" during certain festivals in the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties has basically disappeared among the Han people. .

The following things are recorded in the "Book of Han" and "Book of the Later Han": "Book of Han·Zhang Er Biography": "The daughter of a rich man from the outside world was very beautiful, but he was a slave to his husband, and his father died in his residence. "My father said, 'I want a good husband,' Zhang Er said. 'I heard that I would like to marry him."

"Book of the Later Han·Liang Hong Biography": "Tongxian County." The Meng family had a daughter who was fat, ugly, and black. She chose the right one and refused to marry her. When she was thirty years old, her parents asked her why. The daughter said, "I want someone as talented as Liang Boluan." /p>

In the above two examples, although the daughter of a wealthy man made her own decision based on suggestions from others, she always showed that she had a certain degree of autonomy over marriage. Meng Guangzhi married Liang Hong not only with vision, but also with complete independence. This level of autonomy was rarely seen after the Song and Ming dynasties. Even if it existed, it would be attacked by society and denounced as "licentious", "irregular" and "contrary to etiquette". However, in the Han Dynasty, it was still different among people. Of course, the people of the time are virtuous.

Of course, the above phenomenon is only one aspect of things. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, marriage has been decided by parents, which has gradually evolved into the main aspect of things. "The Book of the Later Han·Biography of Dai Liang" says: "The five good daughters are all virtuous, and whenever they ask for marriage, they will always get married." This father has the power to control his daughter's marriage, and he is relatively easy to talk to others. However, there are also parents who are difficult to talk to. For example, "Book of Han: Biography of King Xian of Huaiyang": "King Zhao again sent people to pay attention to Shangnu, and offered a betrothal reward of 200 catties, but no reward was granted."

"Wei Zhi·Biography of Wang Can" : "Can's father was Qian, and he was a great general. He Jin has a long history. Jin named Qian as a duke, and he wanted to marry him. When he met his two sons, he asked him to choose which one, but Qian refused." Sometimes, elders have conflicting views on their children's marriage. , but in the final analysis, the marriage of children still depends on the elders. For example, "Han Shu·Xiao Xuan Xu Hou Zhuan": "At that time, there was a female Pingjun in Guanghan, who was fourteen or fifteen years old. She was the daughter-in-law of the Ouhou family of the inner filial piety order. When the time came, the Ouhou family's son died. Her mother was going to perform divination. The prime minister said that he was a noble man, and his mother was very happy. When Zhang He heard that Xu Shi's husband had a daughter, he bought her a drink and said, "My great-grandson is close to me, and I am a Marquis of Guan Nei, so I can have a wife." Guanghan promised. Tomorrow, when I hear this, I will be angry. Guanghan ordered him to be the intermediary, so he met his great-grandson. Another example is when Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty, married Empress Lu. There was a similar situation. Empress Lu's father, Lu Gong, saw Liu Bang's appearance and respected Liu Bang very much. He said that he had many friends and no one could match Liu Bang, so he wanted to marry his daughter off. Give it to him. But his wife Lu Yu was angry. She accused Lu Gong and said: "You have always said that our daughter wants to marry a noble man. When the magistrate of Pei County came to propose, you didn't agree. Why did you marry this boy Liu Bang?" Lu Gong said: "Women don't understand this kind of thing." "In the end, the daughter was married to Liu Bang.

Sometimes, the marriage of a man and a woman is decided by the intervention of other relatives. Of course, such relatives are more authoritative than the parents. For example, Chen Ping of the Han Dynasty married Liu Bang when he was young. He couldn't afford a wife. There was a rich man named Zhang Fu in Hufu. He met Chen Ping by chance and felt that Chen Ping had a good appearance and a great bearing, so he decided to marry his granddaughter to him. Marry one husband and kill the other, and marry him five times. However, Zhang Fu's son did not agree to marry his daughter to Chen Ping, saying that Chen Ping was poor and did not do anything serious. Many people in the county. There was no other reason why he wanted to marry his daughter to him. However, Zhang Fu believed that this person would not be worthless, and finally betrothed his granddaughter to Chen Ping. If you follow your parents' orders, your parents will be very angry. For example, this is what happened to Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun in the Han Dynasty. The rich man Zhuo Wangsun of Linqiong once hosted a banquet, and Sima Xiangru was invited to attend and play the piano during the banquet.

Wenjun, the newly widowed daughter of Prince Zhuo, secretly looked at Sima Xiangru through the crack of the window. She was very enamored with him, so she ran to Sima Xiangru's place at night, and the two eloped to Sima Xiangru's hometown, Chengxiang. Sima Xiangru's family was poor and had only four walls. Zhuo Wangsun was furious about this and said: "This daughter is so worthless, I can't bear to kill her, but I can't give her a penny!" People tried to persuade him, but he never listened.

Whether men and women choose their own spouses, or their parents decide, what are the selection criteria?

When a man chooses a wife, first of all, he values ??appearance. Of course, appearance is not just about beauty. In the Han Dynasty, Huang Ba, a famous Xunli official, "was traveling in Yangxia when he was young. He went out to see a woman. He said: 'This woman must be rich and honorable. Otherwise, I will not write a book." It's not available!" Ba Tui asked, and she was a girl from a shaman family in her hometown. Ba immediately took her as his wife and married her for the rest of her life. "The second is to take a fancy to the woman's talent. Volume 10 of "Huayang Guozhi" says something like this: "Yang Ji, a native of Wuyang, was born in a humble family, and her father was imprisoned. Yang Huan first became a minister, and when he returned, the counties and counties respected him. Ji. She was a virgin, so she invited Huan Ma to sue her father. She spoke impassionedly and wept. She was married to her father because of her extraordinary talent. "The third reason was that he favored the girl's disciples. For example, "Hanshu·Dong Xian Biography" says: "Wang Hong's wife and father, Xiao Xian, was the son of former general Wang. He had been a county guard for a long time, and he was promoted to Zhonglang general after illness. He was a brother. The good father admired him respectfully and wanted to marry him. "There are also those who are greedy for the woman's family wealth, such as the story of Chen Ping's marriage quoted earlier. Why did Chen Ping accept Zhang Fu, a granddaughter who had been widowed five times and whom no one dared to marry? Later generations said that he was greedy for the Yue family's wealth.

When a girl’s family chooses a son-in-law, they first look at the man’s appearance. Lu Gongzhi looks at Liu Bang, and Zhang Fuzhi looks at Chen Ping. "Taiping Yulan" 541 quotes "Wu Shu" about a famous minister in the state of Wu, Tao Qian, when he was young: "Tao Qian, courtesy name Gongzu, was from Danyang County. When Duke Gan went out, he met him on the way. Her appearance was different and she was very happy to talk to her. Mrs. Gan said angrily, "I heard that the Tao family's children were playing too much. How could I marry him as a daughter?" Duke Gan said, "That's strange." "I will succeed in the future." Then he followed him and became the pastor of Xuzhou. "The second is the emphasis on men's talents and talents. The ancients attached great importance to this. There are many records in the history books, such as "Hanshu Zhang Er Biography": "Father. The guest said: 'If you want a good husband, go to Zhang Er.'" "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of Gongsun Zan": "Zan was a beautiful man, with a loud voice and an intelligent speech. The prefect was so talented that he married her." "The Book of the Later Han: Biography of Women": "The wife of Bohai Bao Xuan was the daughter of the Huan family, named Shaojun. Xuanchang learned from Shaojun's father, and his father was surprised by his poverty and hardship, so he took her as his wife." Of course, Shaojun's wife His father took a fancy to Bao Xuan, who was poor, studious and ambitious. "Taiping Yulan" 541 quotes "Zheng Xuan's Farewell Biography" as saying: "Therefore, Zhang Yi, the Minister of Zuo Cheng, was in the same county, thirteen years old, and was a minor official in the county. The king said to him: 'You have the quality of praising the Tao, and the jade Although it is beautiful, it needs to be carved into a vessel. Can it be used by scholars to achieve their goals? Xie is the son of Taiwei Gu. When his father died, his second brother also died. Xie was sent by his sister to flee to Xuzhou with his father's protégé Wang Cheng, and he worked as a servant in a restaurant. The restaurant knew that he was an unusual person, so he took his daughter as his wife."

< p>Many ancient people cherished and loved talents, had unique insights, recognized people in the wilderness, and helped people in times of poverty and danger. This kind of appreciation and help often appeared in the form of marriage. This situation is seen from today's perspective , there is nothing wrong with it.

In that era, there were some special cases of marriage, such as marriage with political purposes and for a certain political relationship. "Historical Records" VII "Xiang Yu Ji" says: "Zhang Liang went out to ask for Xiang Bo, and Xiang Bo immediately went to see Pei Gong. Pei Gong offered wine for his longevity and made a marriage agreement." "Book of the Later Han·Liu Zhiwei": "At that time, King Zhending Liu Yang raised his troops. There are more than 100,000 people attached to Wang Lang. Shizu sent Zhi to say Yang, and Yang surrendered. Because Shizu stayed in Zhending Naguo, he became Yang's nephew. "

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, weddings on the fingertips also began to take shape, and this trend became popular in later generations. For example, "Book of the Later Han: Biography of Jia Fu": "Fu Zhao fought with the Five Schools in Zhending, and was severely defeated. He suffered serious injuries. Guangwu was shocked and said: 'The reason why I don't let Jia Fu say goodbye to the general is to underestimate the enemy. .

Sure enough, I lost my famous general! Hearing that his wife is pregnant, if she gives birth to a girl, my son will marry her; if she gives birth to a boy, my daughter will marry her, so that she won’t worry about her wife! ”

In short, the Qin and Han Dynasties were the early stages of China’s feudal society, and the ways and purposes of marriage were increasingly marked by feudal society: family law and parents’ orders became more and more important. And the concept of family status also began to emerge. Judging from many of the examples cited above, a large proportion of people with similar family backgrounds. This emphasis on family status and hierarchy is a characteristic of feudal society, and by the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it reached Of course, there are many cases where the girl's family does not mind the man's lowliness and poverty. Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with this, but upon in-depth analysis, there are many cases where "this man should be more valuable." , the view and expectation that "this person must not be a reckless person", with a hope of one day entering a higher level. As for obtaining money through marriage, it is not obvious. Chen Ping wants to get the daughter of five husbands who died. The intention of money is only the analysis of later generations. The pursuit of money in ancient marriages was far less than it is today. This may be because the commodity economy is not yet developed.

3. , Wedding Ceremony

The wedding ceremony of this period followed the "six rites" of the past, and became increasingly popular among nobles and civilians. For example, "Yi Wen Lei Ju" 40 said: "The beginning of acceptance. It’s time to choose between appearance and words. Asking for a name means asking for a girl's name and the result will be divination. Naji means Gui Bu Ji, so go and tell him. To accept the levy, use bundles of silk to achieve the levy. Asking for a date, asking for an auspicious day to greet you, it is a ritual to say so personally.

However, the "Six Rites" of this period were much more complicated and extravagant than the "Six Rites" of ancient times. They were used to show status and wealth, which is one of the characteristics of feudal society. , the simple ancient customs have gradually been lost. For example, from the Han Dynasty onwards, hundreds of officials accepted gifts and gave 30 kinds of gifts, including Xuanqi, sheep, and wild geese. "Tongdian" fifty-eight describes this in more detail:

The six etiquette speeches of Zheng Zhongzhong and Baiguan in the Later Han Dynasty are roughly the same as those in the Zhou system, but Na adopted the female family's reply speech. At the end, it says: Offer some wine and meat. Again, worship and rebel. When he refers to his predecessors, he does not refer to my son, but to his lord. The six rites are all sealed, first with paper, then with a soap bag on the outside, in the box, and with a soap coat box, on the outside, with a big bag to seal it, with the title and text, saying: "I pay homage to a certain king's family." There are thirty kinds of betrothal gifts, each with a salutation and a compliment. The seal box is sealed with wax, and the inscription is covered with soap in the box.

There is no outer envelope, so the title is checked and the text is said: I am paying a visit to the family of a certain monarch in the box, and I am writing a complimentary text. On inspection. Gifts: Lu Xuanqi, sheep, wild geese, sake, white wine, japonica rice, millet, bulrush, reed, Selaginella, Jiahe, longevity thread, glue, lacquer, five-color silk, acacia bells, Jiuzimo, money, Lude vanilla , phoenix, relic beast, mandarin duck, blessed beast, fish, deer, bird, nine-child woman, yangsui.

The above gifts must be written with auspicious greetings to indicate their certain meanings. These greetings also indicate people's ethical concepts and yearning and pursuit of a better life at that time. Fifty-eight records of "Tongdian" are as follows:

In summary, those who talk about the impressions of things are Xuan Xiang Tian and Qi Dharma Earth. Sheep are auspicious, they are a flock but not a party. The geese follow the sun. Sake brings good fortune. The reason why liquor makes you happy. Japonica rice nourishes food. Millet, rice and rice are abundant. Puduo is soft in nature. Reed is soft for a long time. Selaginella flexosus and epiphytes. Jiahe Xulu. Longevity in sewing. Life extension glue can combine different species. The paint is shiny inside and out. The five-color silk seals are endlessly bent and stretched. The sound of Albizia bells is harmonious. Jiuzi Mo has long-lasting descendants. Money and wisdom are endless. It is auspicious to get vanilla. Phoenix female

The male and female couple. The relic beast is honest and modest. When the mandarin ducks fly, their beards are stopped, and they sing in harmony. The blessed beast has a respectful and kind heart. There is no shooting in the abyss where the fish is. The deer is lucky. Birds know how to feed back and be filial to their parents. Nine wives have four virtues. Yang Sui becomes Ming and settles down. There is also Dan as the glory of the five colors, green as the first color, and the beginning of the east.

As for the bride price, that is, the levy money, it is becoming more and more luxurious and extravagant, even reaching a staggering level. "Han Guan Yi" said: "The emperor hired a queen, and the gold was ten thousand pounds." "Han Shu Wang Mang's Biography" said: "The ladies from all over the world were recruited, and Du Lingshi's daughter was made the queen, and the gold was thirty thousand pounds." "The Book of the Later Han·Xianlie Liang Empress Ji" says: "So according to the story of Emperor Xiaohui's acceptance of the queen, he hired 20,000 catties of gold." "The Book of Song·Li Zhi" said: "Shang Shu Zhu Zhengyi:

After Han Gao, he hired two hundred kilograms of gold and twelve horses; Madam, fifty kilograms of gold and four horses. "The Biography of King Xian of Huaiyang in the Book of Han" said: "The king of Zhao sent someone to Gu Shangnu again. The bride price is two hundred catties, but the prize is not promised."

This situation is not only a ritual among the royal family, but also a common practice among the people. For example, the "Book of Han·Chen Ping Biography" states: "Zhang Fu and his daughter were poor, so they hired them with fake loans.

"From this point of view, this kind of "facade" must be given up no matter what. According to the "Book of the Later Han·Biography of Ren Yan", Ren Yan did not understand the marriage etiquette because of Luo Yue's name, so he used the power of the government to marry more than two thousand men and women. Due to their age difference, they were paired up. "If they were poor and had no gifts, the provinces below Chang Shi would provide them with financial aid." This was also a custom that could not be violated at that time. Other aspects of the wedding were very grand. For example, "Book of Han: Biography of Wusun in the Western Regions" says: "In the Han Dynasty, King Jian of Jiangdu sent Xijun, the daughter of King Jian of Jiangdu, to be his wife. He was given chariots, uniforms, and royal belongings, and served as eunuchs and eunuchs to serve hundreds of people. The gifts were very generous. "The Fuxi Chapter" of the third chapter of "Qianhu Lun" says: "When the rich marry, the chariots and chariots are ten each, and the slaves and servants are riding together. The rich are in competition with each other, and the poor are shameless." ”

This extravagant style of marriage was opposed by some knowledgeable people at the time. For example, Dai Liang mentioned above, “When marrying a girl, use a square bamboo hat as a strict utensil.” The only things he wore were sparse clothes, cloth quilts, bamboo mats, and wooden clogs. As mentioned before, Bao Xuan, who was appreciated for his hard work but studiousness, and married his daughter, also had a good style in this regard. His wife Shaojun married. When he came over, he pretended to be rich in bribes. Bao Xuan was very unhappy and said to his wife: "You grew up in a rich family and are used to decorating and enjoying things. But I live in poverty and do not dare to treat these courtesy properly." The wife said, "My father asked me to marry you because of your good moral character and style." Since I am your wife, I will always act according to your opinions. Bao Xuan said happily: "If this is the case, we will be of the same mind." "The woman returned her beautiful clothes and attendants to her parents' home, changed into commoners, and returned to her hometown with Bao Xuan. Of course, in that kind of society, people like Dai Liang and Bao Xuan

Not many.

At that time, the custom of having a wedding party had already arisen. Guests often drank and laughed, and behaved unscrupulously. For example, "Qunshu Zhiyao" quoted Zhong Changtong's "Changyan" as saying: "Now we are getting married. At the meeting, the stick is used to control the banter, and the wine is used to entertain the passions. It is suitable to indulge in lewdness in the public, show secrets among relatives, defile the customs, lead to prostitution and adultery, nothing more serious than this. It’s something that can’t be continued. "According to records, a man named Du Shi in Runan in the Han Dynasty got married. Everyone came to congratulate him and drank a lot of wine.

One of his friends named Zhang Miao was joking when they were having a wedding, and brought Du Shi to his wife. After being tied up and beaten 20 times, Du's hands and feet were hung high on the beam, and Du died.

Four. Several noteworthy forms of marriage

Qin, Han and beyond. Feudal aristocrats and landowners, like previous generations and even later generations of feudal society, had a very popular system of polygamy. In addition to the main wife, there were also concubines, young wives, side wives, mistresses, concubines, lower wives, foreign wives, maidservants, and many more. In name, there are often more than one person. For example, "Han Shu·Yuan Hou Biography" says: "Wang Ban was fond of drinking and having many wives.

" "Book of Han·Kong Guang Zhuan": "At that time, Chun Yu, the Marquis of Dingling, was sitting in Chang'an to be punished. The eldest wife, the younger wife, and the other six people all left or remarried because they were not aware of the matter. "Book of the Later Han·Biography of King Chang of Liangjie": "Chen Chang had thirty-seven wives. "At that time, it was common among the people to buy an ae if they had no children. For example, "Yilin" and "Taiping Yulan" 388 and 326 quoted "Customs" as saying: "Chen Liu is rich. She had no children in her 90th year, so she took a daughter from the Tian family as a concubine. "How deformed and ugly it is to buy a little wife at the age of ninety!

Of course, these situations are still based on men dominating and oppressing women and using women as playthings. There were many scandals and scandals during this period, such as "Hanshu Biography of Wang Shang": "Geng Ding wrote a letter saying: Shang had an affair with his father Fu's maid and his female brother. "Book of Han·Xia Houying Biography": "Princess Pingyang of Poshang committed adultery with her father's maid and committed suicide." "

"Book of Han·Yixing Biography": "Zhang Pengzu was poisoned by his concubine and died. "Hanshu·Chunyu Kao Biography": "Empress Xu's sister is the wife of Long'e Sihou and is a widow. The elder had an affair with a concubine because he took her as a concubine. "As for the "Book of the Later Han·Liang Biography of King Zhao Xiao", it says: "Zhao Xiangzou Qianju's father lost his concubine and took advantage of Zhongqiu County. "This is because marrying a younger wife during the period of his father's death violated a taboo in feudal etiquette, so he was demoted. Otherwise, polygamy was completely legal in feudal society.

There is another phenomenon worth noting in the form of marriage. Chongqing means remarrying in the marriage family, which is the so-called "increased family relationship". The married family is always the married family, and there are also situations where the in-laws and the family are mutually exclusive (referring to the saying in "The Book of Ritual Scholars", the daughter's surname is called marriage, and the son-in-law's surname is called marriage). Historical records are mostly practiced by the royal family and nobles. Of course, they are also practiced among the people, but they are not specifically recorded in history.

Due to the close relationship, a rather complicated network of relationships has been formed. For example, "Hanshu·Wen San Wang Biography": "Liang Wang Huang passed away, and his son established an heir. Wang Huang's female brother Yuanzi became his uncle and became Bao's wife. Bao. Brother Zizhao is the queen."

As for the following situation, it is more complicated. "The Book of the Later Han·Biography of Geng Yan": "Father Kuang, when Kuang died, the younger son attacked his father. Yan Zu, his son was a loyal heir. Zhong Zu, his son was Feng Si. Feng Zu, his son was a good heir, one was without ban, and the emperor's sister of Shang'an was Puyang Chang. Princess. ...... The daughter of Jinzu is the daughter of Jinzu. The son of Xianzu is the heir of Emperor Shanghuan. , the son of Princess Longlu, the daughter of Shang Xian, the son of Bao, and the daughter of Bao is Princess Qinghexiao."

The essence of this kind of marriage is for the sake of marriage. The two parties support and utilize each other politically and economically, thereby further consolidating their relationship through multiple forms of marriage. It can also be seen from this that in feudal society, especially within the ruling class, marriage was rarely a combination of love and was often based on family interests.

Due to the "closer-to-closer" relationship, a very complex network of relationships is formed. Marriage is sometimes conducted between peers, and sometimes between different generations. This is not due to negligence. The feudal patriarchal system is very strict and cannot be careless. It is just that family interests exceed the importance of seniority.

In addition, there is another phenomenon worth noting: people with the same surname in the Zhou system did not marry, but people in the Han Dynasty did not seem to avoid marriage with the same surname.

For example, "Book of Han·Biography of Wang Vu": "Vu died, and his son was Tan. Tan died, and his son was Xian. Wang Mang's wife is Xiannu." From this point of view, Wang Mang and his wife have the same surname. . Another example is "Tongdian": "Lv Empress married Lu Ping", the same is true.

From a modern scientific point of view, marriage with the same surname is not impossible, because the same surname may not necessarily be a close blood relationship. However, intermarriage between different generations in the Han Dynasty, especially intermarriage between different generations with close blood relationships, such as maternal uncle marrying niece, aunt nephew marrying aunt, cousin nephew marrying cousin, etc. are worthy of analysis. It can be considered from the perspective that political interests are above all else, and it may also be a throwback to ancient blood marriages.

5. Absolute marriage and remarriage

From the Han Dynasty to the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were many extermination (i.e. divorce) and remarriage. This situation is relatively complicated. From it we can see not only the beginnings of feudal etiquette and chastity requirements, but also the oppression of women by men and the entire patriarchal system. We can also see that there is still a certain degree of freedom in terms of abstinence and remarriage. Degree, which is obviously different from that of later generations such as the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

The first situation of absolute marriage is when a man abandons his wife. There are many reasons for this: First, there is no child. "There are three kinds of unfilial piety, the greatest is not having children." This is of course a big thing. "If you don't have a son to give up, you will never be able to give up." This is one of the seven abandonments (or seven departures). "Dongguan Han Ji·Ying Shun Zhuan": "Shun Shao and Xu Jingshan from the same county, respecting the poor and elderly relatives in the family, have no children, so they divorced their wives and married more out of respect." In fact, childlessness is not necessarily the woman's problem; Very unjust.

The second reason is due to words, that is, the woman said something "wrong" and caused some family conflicts. For example, Chen Ping in the Han Dynasty was a prodigal when he was young and had no business in childbirth. His sister-in-law couldn't stand it and said some unpleasant words, such as "It's better to have an uncle like this than not have one." When Chen Ping's brother found out, he He chased his wife and abandoned her. People say that this approach is also in line with one of the seven abandonments (or seven abandonments): "Abandonment with words and abandonment is also a separation from relatives." In fact, this is also very unfair. This is just as Liu Bei said later: "Brothers are like brothers and feet, and wives are like clothes; clothes can be mended when they are broken, and broken limbs can be repaired!" In a patriarchal society centered on men, it is natural that this is in this way.

The third is theft. One of the seven abandonments (or seven abandonments) is "stealing and abandoning, which is the opposite of meaning". In fact, this so-called "theft" is often not a big deal. For example, "Book of Han·Biography of Wang Ji": "Ji was educated when he was young and lived in Chang'an. His employer had a big jujube tree. In Ji's courtyard, Ji's wife took the jujubes to eat Ji's. Ji's wife knew about it and removed her." This jujube tree is a neighbor's. The branches and fruits that were grown at home reached Wang Ji's house. Wang Ji's wife picked some for Wang Ji to eat. As a result, Wang Ji divorced her because of it. This is really treating marriage as a piece of cake and treating women as a piece of cake.

Fourth is female jealousy. One of the seven abandonments (or seven departures) is: "Jealous abandonment will lead to chaos in the family." There are of course "sufficient reasons" for divorce in this way. "Book of the Later Han·Biography of Feng Yan" says that Feng Yan married a daughter of the Ren family in the north. The Ren family was fierce and jealous and did not allow Feng Yan to keep concubines. She also abused Feng Bao and Feng Yan's children from his previous marriage. Jiang, later Feng Yan kicked her out.

Regarding this matter, Feng Yan wrote a letter to Ren Wuda, the younger brother of Ren's daughter, explaining the whole story. This letter is quite famous in history. People often use it to educate their daughters on how to be husbands and how to abide by women's ethics.

Xinyun:

The nature of heaven and earth means that people have joy and anger; the way of husband and wife means separation and union. According to the rites of the ancestors, scholars have wives and concubines. Although their lineage is small, they still want to exceed the control. As they age, they will hate themselves and fall into hell. They will encounter jealousy and their family fortune will collapse. The mother of five sons is still at home. In the past five years, she has been in the prime of life. She regards white as black and wrong as right. She makes mistakes and gives birth to heads and tails. She is innocent and innocent. She is slanderous and bandits descend from the sky. She is born from the sky. Women, with the heart of a blue fly, do not worry about destroying the country; the jealousy does not worry about losing their lives. The morning of the hen is only the rope of the family. The great trouble of ancient times begins now. When he is drunk and full, he often behaves like a Jie and Zhou. He teases people in the house and spreads them overseas. Open your eyes and touch your palms, thinking that something is nothing. Pain pierces the sky, poison flows through the five internal organs, sorrow makes people want to live, thoughts make people ignore disaster, children are born in bed, heirs are infertile, textiles and weaving are poor, there are no female workers, the family is poor and has no children, and it is like a common man, so the child, Everyone feels sad and has no mercy. The only thing that Wuda saw was that he had no hairpin on his head, no makeup on his face, his body was uncovered, his hands and feet were hugging the earth, he didn’t tolerate his poverty, he didn’t regret his feelings, he leaped from the beam and screamed as if he was in the underworld, he was a concubine selling sugar, he couldn’t bear it Its ambition. I have been away for a long time, Nian'er, Cao Xiaojia has no other envoys, I pity Jiang and Leopard, I treat them as slaves, I feel so sorry and anxious, I have a rotten heart in everything, I borrow money aggressively, I can't listen to it, I brutally torture this maid, and I will die like a hair, in half a year , pus and blood flowed horizontally. After the maid got sick, the ginger broke the cooking pot, the leopard touched the mud again, her heart was filled with sadness, her grain weaving was scattered, her winter clothes were not mended, she sat upright to make things messy, and her threads were not connected. She had neither a womanly manner nor a motherly etiquette, and she resented the infringement. Hate to see the mess, relying on Zheng's order, as if living in the sky, holding the hostage to each other, the words are hundreds of things, the sword and halberd are at the door, how can I give way; surrounded by hundreds of crossbows, how can I force myself to recover? The master of Juzong explained, the words are as follows Circulation, the mouth is like a cuckoo, the county flag reaches the sky, beats the drum to move the earth, the heart does not do evil, the body does not shake, it is suitable to live in the wrong place, and it is self-planned, there is no fear of the above letter, the dog is not startled when it barks, and it is confident in its feelings . If you don’t get rid of this wife, the family will not be peaceful; if you don’t get rid of this wife, the family will be unclear; if you don’t get rid of this wife, then blessings will not come; if you don’t get rid of this wife, things will not happen. Self-hatred is due to not being able to settle early in the prosperous period. As for the day when the Chuibai family is poor and disabled, carbuncles develop and gangrenes develop, causing disasters on their own. Because of the chaos in his family, he gave up his clothes and turned his back on the mountains and fields, cutting off the road to friendship and travel. He closed the door of the officialdom and never left, focusing on farming for food and clothing. How dare he have a path to fame!

This letter was written vividly, plausibly, and well-founded. Naturally, the woman’s family had nothing to say, and public opinion at the time was also on Feng Yan’s side. Of course, from today's perspective, this is just a one-sided statement, and the letter also reveals "macho" thoughts from time to time. Perhaps Ren's daughters did have many shortcomings, but it was also one of the reasons why they violated their husband's right to rule and were not allowed to take concubines, endangering their husband's "rights" and "interests".

Fifth, the woman’s moral conduct is poor. For example, "Huayang Guozhi·Praise to the Scholars of Guanghan" says that there was a person named Rudun. His brothers lived together. His parents had some inheritance, and his sister-in-law wanted to keep it for herself. Rudun's wife was very virtuous, so she advised Rudun to let them go. , so Rudun gave the farm, house, and slaves to his brother and sister-in-law, and the couple moved out. One time Rudon dug out a gold object while plowing the fields. His wife persuaded him to give it to his brother, and the couple went there together. When my sister-in-law saw them coming, she thought they were here to borrow money and didn't give them a good look. Later, when she found out that they were here to present gold objects, she was so happy that she danced for joy. At this time, the elder brother came to his senses, gave up his wife, and returned the family property to his younger brother. From this incident, it seems that the sister-in-law is greedy and seems to be a "little person", but the brother is also very bad. He actually accepted all the inheritance from his parents when his brother and his wife-in-law gave it away, and he is not ashamed. Later, although I realized this, why did I immediately divorce my wife? If you can understand it yourself, why can’t your wife understand it? Why not help and educate her? This is again caused by "brothers are like siblings, wives are like clothes".

Sixth, the woman is not allowed to be with her parents, that is, she does not serve her parents-in-law well, or the parents-in-law are biased against the daughter-in-law. There are many examples of this. For example, "Book of the Later Han·Biography of Bao Yong" says: "Yongshi is extremely filial to his mother. His wife once tasted scolding a dog in front of his mother, and Yong left her immediately." "Book of the Later Han·Biography of Lienu Guanghan Jiang Shi's Wife" says: "Shishi is extremely filial to his mother. , My wife is very kind to me. My mother likes to drink from the river. She goes to the river for six or seven miles, but when the wind blows, she comes back from time to time.

Both of these things were very unreasonable. Bao Yong's wife just scolded a dog in front of her mother-in-law and was abandoned.

Jiang Shi's wife was even more unjust. She was originally very filial to her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law liked to drink river water. She often walked six or seven miles to collect water from the river. One day there was a strong wind and she failed to return in time. Her mother-in-law was thirsty and just wanted to do this. Things were abandoned, how contrary to human feelings and humanity!

The seventh is to abandon his wife for temporary political relations. This happened to Ban Chao, the general of the Han Dynasty. "Book of the Later Han·Biography of Ban Chao" says that at that time, a minister Li Yi first went to Khotan. He was as afraid of the enemy as a tiger and jealous of Ban Chao's achievements, so he wrote to the emperor to slander Ban Chao, saying that Ban Chao had a concubine he loved, a son he loved, and he was happy