The ancient marriage system was deeply misunderstood, and the fines for singles were nonsense
Legend has it that the ancients lived a leisurely life, and when they returned home after a day of fatigue, they had three wives and four concubines competing for favor and service, which made people envious. However, you know what? Ancient"Three wives and four concubines"It's not as simple as you think, it's fair to say that these men are in danger of their lives at any time, but they have to, because being single is also seen as a sin.
So, how did all this happen?
Is it really difficult for an ancient man to have three wives and four concubines? Perhaps we have a misunderstanding of what the ancients knew, and they did not enjoy this system very much. In fact, the ancient system of three wives and four concubines was against the law.
In ancient times, men could have a system of polyandry and concubines, in which there was only one main wife, and the other women were called concubines and could not be called wives. This may explain why the lives of men with three wives and four concubines are always in danger.
However, the term three wives and four concubines was not illegal in itself, at least until the Yuan dynasty. Because it was not until the Yuan Dynasty that the legalization of monogamy began to be explicitly stipulated.
So, did the three wives and four concubines in ancient times really feel happy? In fact, this is not the case.
The system of three wives and four concubines in ancient societies was only applicable to a few nobles, bureaucrats, and royalty because their wealth and social status were able to support polygamy. However, the implementation of such a system is not an easy task and requires men to have high management and coordination skills, otherwise family life will be full of strife and trouble.
Despite this, some people still choose to maintain the system of three wives and four concubines because they believe that such a system can bring power and fame, and being single is seen as a crime.
Therefore, despite its difficulties and challenges, the three-wife and four-concubine system still has a certain appeal for those who seek power and fame.
In ancient times, both men and women were punished for being singles, either by fines or by not being able to carry on their lineage. If a man cannot marry a wife and have children, not only will he be considered unfilial, but the whole family will not be able to hold his head up.
Therefore, in order to avoid becoming the "sinner" of the family, men in ancient times usually chose to marry as soon as possible. However, with the development of society, the number of male singles is also increasing, and it is not just a family problem.
In modern society, male singles not only face social pressures, but also risk ethical condemnation for not being able to carry on their ancestry. Therefore, we should respect everyone's choices and not discriminate and blame them because of their gender or age.
In ancient times, population was an important measure of the strength of a dynasty. Having a larger population means more soldiers, more labor, and more food output, which in turn increases the income of the imperial court and makes the country stronger.
As a result, all dynasties have attached great importance to population and fertility. The idea of preference for sons over daughters was very common in ancient times, and this was not only an ideological issue, but even a clear manifestation in the system.
For example, property can only be inherited by men, titles must also be inherited by men, and even imperial examinations can only be taken by men. So why did ancient societies place so much emphasis on the status of men?
Actually, there is another important reason.
Men enjoy more rights in society, but they also bear great responsibilities. In ancient times, men were required to perform military service and conscription, becoming the main force in society.
This means that a large number of adult and semi-adult men will be drafted into the army and taken to the battlefield. However, the war not only represents a depopulation reduction, but also great sacrifices and risks.
The prevalence of the ancient patriarchal social system and polygamy led to a serious imbalance in the ratio of men and women, which in turn greatly increased the probability of men being singles. If a country has too many men, it can send more troops to the army; Conversely, if the proportion of male singles continues to rise, the fertility rate will decline, which can lead to the rapid decline of a dynasty in a short period of time.
But interestingly, ancient societies do not seem to attach importance to the issue of singles, and even regarded it as a secondary contradiction. So, how did ancient societies solve this problem?
Limiting the number of concubines of the nobility In ancient societies, the existence of the problem of singles was often related to the excessive number of concubines of powerful people such as nobles and royalty. Under monogamy, only 100 women are needed for 100 men, while under polygamy, at least 200 women are needed for 100 men.
In the case of a stable population, this can lead to 100 men becoming singles, resulting in more men than women, and many marriageable men are unable to find suitable women.
To solve this problem, the rulers of many dynasties took corresponding measures. For example, in Cai Yong's book "Dictatorship" in the Han Dynasty, it is mentioned that only those who have made special contributions can marry up to eight concubines - "if you are successful, you must prepare eight concubines".
In ancient times, the concubinage system had strict restrictions. Even royal relatives and nobles can only accept a few concubines. For example, the Ming Dynasty stipulated that the prince could only accept a maximum of 10 concubines, and the prince of the county could only accept 4 concubines, and generally only accepted concubines once.
In fact, it is very difficult for ordinary people to be qualified to marry concubines. Therefore, for the ancient bachelors, the restriction on concubinage was good news.
In the past feudal society, although most dynasties forbade widows to remarry, some dynasties had corresponding legal provisions, such as the "Tang Law Household Marriage", which stipulates that after the death of her husband, widows can choose whether to remarry or not.
However, in that era, social ethos and attitudes were more important to men, who often felt that widowing would not hold their heads up and be looked down upon. Therefore, even if the woman is forced to agree to the relationship, the man will face a lot of pressure and distress.
This does not mean that ancient people were unfair to women, but because the social conditions and ideas at that time limited women's choices.
Without the impetus of institutions or customs, the problem of singles will not be solved. As a result, some ethnic minority areas in the north have created a unique social custom that does not consider widowhood to be a shame, but rather as a way to solve the problem of singles.
Under this custom, the phenomenon of brothers marrying sisters-in-law and sisters-in-law marrying uncles has become the norm, and even some ethnic minorities have even had the custom of "wife and stepmother", that is, the son marries the father's little wife as a wife.
Wang Zhaojun, one of the four beauties of ancient China, also faced a similar choice. In order to make peace with her relatives, she married the Hun Huhan Evil Shan Yu's Yan clan. However, when she died, she remarried her ex-husband's son in accordance with local custom.
Although this behavior is considered taboo in modern society because it may affect the development of offspring, in ancient times, it was actually done to make full use of female fertility and solve the problem of family population.
I have to admit that this alleviated the social problems of the time to some extent.
For a long time in the past, the concept of marriage was deeply imprinted by "the order of parents and the words of matchmakers". The matchmaker, the person who connects men and women, is a representative of the ancient Chinese marriage system.
In Wang Shifu's "The Story of the West Chamber", Cui Yingying and Zhang Sheng fell in love at first sight in the Pufu Temple, and had a private lifelong behavior. Later, Zhang Sheng also invited a matchmaker named Matchmaker.
There are two types of matchmakers, private media and official media. Private media are private matchmakers, similar to the matchmaker in "The Legend of the West Chamber"; The official media is a person set up by the government to solve the marriage of a single man, similar to the current civil servants of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
In ancient times, the official media had greater power, and they could use coercion to find wives for single men, or even designate a certain woman to marry someone. During the Qing Dynasty, the main role of the state media was to find spouses for the large number of single men who had been assigned to Xinjiang.
In order to maintain population stability in the frontiers, the state media would assign the wives and daughters of the rebels and the women who had fled the famine to specific single men, so that they could live together and have offspring.
This corner used to be a secret place for men and women to have private meetings, and the official media patrolled these places every day to prevent the two from having private interactions, which is called "checking the wall".
It is said that Cui Yingying and Zhang Sheng had a private meeting here over the wall. Whenever the state media found out about the situation, the single man would be expelled.
In ancient times, the age of marriage for women was generally in their teens, and the youngest could marry at the age of thirteen. If a woman does not marry when she reaches marriageable age, the government will intervene to match the marriage.
For example, in the Jin Dynasty's Book of Jin and Emperor Wu (Volume 3), Sima Yan issued an order in the winter and October of the ninth year of Taishi: "If women reach the age of seventeen and their parents do not marry them, the local ** shall arrange marriage for them." ”
If a woman reaches the age of 17 and her parents have not arranged for her, the government will intervene and help her find a suitable husband to force her to marry. Although this was a relatively good way to deal with it, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the situation became extremely serious.
If a girl reaches marriageable age and is not married, the whole family is considered a crime and sent to prison. According to the "Song Book: The Biography of Zhou Lang": "A woman is married ten times, and her family sits on it." ”
In ancient times, many dynasties even adopted measures in order to force women to marry as soon as possible"Poll tax"way. Among them, there was a law in the Han Dynasty that a woman between the ages of 15 and 30 who was not married was required to pay five times the poll tax.
Here it is"The female university is not staying"The original meaning of the word indicates that women can't stay when they are older, because they stay only to pay taxes. From the perspective of singles, this practice of forcibly lowering the age of marriage for women can indeed effectively reduce the existence of singles in society.
Increase the opportunities for Ben and allow both men and women to communicate freely. In ancient times, such opportunities often appeared on special folk festivals, such as July.
Seventh, the fifteenth day of the first month, etc.
At that time, the streets would be bustling with all kinds of activities, lantern riddles, juggling, etc., in fact, the market was moved to the evening. On this day, both boys and girls can communicate freely on the streets, just like the ancient version"Don't disturb if you're not sincere"。
One of the most famous"Benhui"It was the Spring and Autumn period"Mid-spring meeting"- The third day of the third month of the lunar calendar. Young marriageable men and women can communicate through this special opportunity to increase their marriage rate.
According to the official media of Zhou Li", the mid-spring season is a dating day for men and women, and on this day, men and women communicate freely and freely. If someone is absent without an excuse, they will be punished by a fine as a way to maintain social order.
In ancient times, the life of a single dog was really difficult, and he was either forced to marry by the government or fined. It is also difficult to marry a concubine, not only to comply with the laws of the dynasty, but also to face more pain after marrying a concubine.
In contrast, modern people are so happy. What do you think? You can share your thoughts in the comment section!