Wife refers to the title of title given to a woman according to the rank of her family after her husband or descendant becomes an official. According to the Qing Dynasty gift system, the "Great Qing Huidian" recorded nine levels of gift titles, namely:Mrs. Yipin, Mrs., Lady, Gongren, Yiren, Anren, Ruren, Eight Rank Ru Ren, Nine Rank Ru Ren. As the official position increases, the rank and title of the conferral will change accordingly. In the feudal system, the Anren correspond to the wives, mothers, and grandmothers of the sixth-rank officials, while the widows correspond to the wives, mothers, and grandmothers of the seventh-rank officials. These titles have a certain degree of popularity among the people and are regarded as legal titles for deceased women.
There are several reasons for the use of the two gift titles of Anren and Ruren: First, the two titles of Anren and Ruren became an honorific title for women in ancient times. After the Song Dynasty, the system of feudal gifts was gradually formed and obtainedMing and Qing dynastiesThe two dynasties followed. Among the people, there is a consensus that the two titles of Anren and Ruren are regarded as legitimate titles for deceased women. There was no need for the imperial court to interfere too much with the use of this title, and once such a custom was formed, it would take root in the hearts of the people. Secondly, the management of the name of the seal is relatively relaxed in practice. The local government often turns a blind eye to the bestowal titles of Anren and Ruren, and generally does not obey themLawsto make interference. This is mainly because these two titles have been widely circulated among the people and have little to do with the gift policy. In addition, honorific titles for deceased elders are a matter of vanity and face for many people. InAncient societiesRespect for the deceased and the dignity of the family are taken seriously. In order to express their grief for their elders, future generations will often engrave titles such as "Anren" and "Ruren" on the tombstone to show the identity and status of the family. The male title that is strictly controlled by the gift system generally does not appear on the tombstone of a non-** family, because it involvesLawsand the question of political privilege. However, for the relatively low-level titles such as Anren and Ruren, the imperial court and the local government generally do not interfere too much. Finally, the difficulty of distinguishing between the true and the false is also a factor in the use of the title of "Anren" and "Ruren". It must be true that some of the many Ans and children of the country are true, that is, the husbands or descendants of these women have indeed held official positions and have been given corresponding titles. However, verifying this information is not an easy task, and it becomes very difficult for local authorities, especially when it comes to a long period of time, to trace the status of a deceased woman's gift. Therefore, the identities of many security and widows may be false, but due to the difficulty of supervision, they cannot be clearly verified. In general, most of the tombstones of the Qing Dynasty were ordinary people, and the title of Ruren was more common.
The main reasons for the popularity of the system of ordination are as follows: First,Ancient societiesAttentionFuneralsEtiquette and the maintenance of family status. Respect for deceased elders and uphold the dignity of the family isAncient societiesoneConventional wisdomwithCultural practices。Descendants often engrave the corresponding title on the tombstone to show the identity and status of the family, and express respect and mourning for the elders. Secondly, the system of giving gifts to women conforms to feudal etiquette and hierarchical concepts. In a feudal society, there was a strict hierarchy and an orderly hierarchy. The Qing Dynasty's gift system embodied this concept, and clearly stipulated and distinguished the title of the maiden. By giving the wife the corresponding title, it can reflect the official status of her husband or descendants, and then highlight the social status and prestige of the family. In addition, the popularity of such titles as "Anren" and "Ruren" among the people is also related to the relatively mild management of the gift system. Although the imperial court has set strict regulations and management systems for the gift of **, it is relatively lenient for titles such as Anren and Ruren. As a result, these titles were widely circulated among the people and were seen as legitimate titles for deceased women. The local government also turned a blind eye to this and did not intervene too much. Finally, the reason for the popularity of the system of female gifts is that it is difficult to distinguish between the true and the fake. Due to the difficulty of verifying the identity of the gift, many people use this way to be vain and add some fictitious title to the deceased to show the status and dignity of the family. In addition, because the imperial court and local government did not intervene much, this phenomenon was not explicitly controlled or prohibited, which made this behavior more common.
The popularity of the system of female gifts has had a certain impact on society and individuals. First of all, the existence of the system of natal gifts provides a way for the maintenance of family status and dignity. Family status and prestige forAncient societiesTherefore, the popularity of the feudal system provides a way for the maintenance of the dignity of the Heiyun Zitai clan. Secondly, the existence of the system of giving gifts to women also reflects the deepening of the feudal hierarchy. In feudal society, the difference in rank is very obvious, and the difference between the status of ** and ordinary people is huge. This concept was further strengthened by the popularity of the system of wives and gifts, and a strict hierarchical system was developed in the family. However, there are also some problems with the system of ordination of wives. Although the status of the firing can reflect the status and dignity of the family to a certain extent, it also sows the seeds of vanity and hypocrisy. Some deceive people for the sake of vanity and face, and attach false titles to deceased women. This kind of behavior not only violates the original intention of the gift system, but also undermines itSocial ethos。In addition, the existence of the system of female gifts has also caused some ordinary women with no official background to be labeled as eunuchs, which may also exacerbate social injustice and class differences.