What does bigamy mean?

At present, bigamy generally exists in two forms:

1. Legal bigamy: refers to the previous marriage that has not been dissolved and registered with others. In China, where a single registered marriage is implemented, as long as both parties have registered their marriages, whether they live together or not, it constitutes bigamy.

2. Factual bigamy: refers to the previous marriage that has not been dissolved, living with others in the name of husband and wife, but not going through the marriage registration procedures. As long as the two parties live together openly in the name of husband and wife, although they are not registered to get married, it has also constituted bigamy.

Cohabitation does not mean bigamy. The cohabitation of a spouse with others means that the spouse and the opposite sex outside marriage do not live continuously and stably in the name of husband and wife. Commonly known as concubinage.

When determining the crime of bigamy, we should pay attention to the following issues:

1. The difference between cohabitation and bigamy. Bigamy is to live together in the name of husband and wife relationship, and those with spouses live together with others instead of living together in the name of husband and wife.

2. Spouses cohabiting with others is different from adultery, extramarital affairs and other behaviors that should be regulated by moral norms. Adultery refers to the secret and voluntary sexual relationship between a man and a woman, or one of them has a spouse. Extramarital love generally refers to an affair between a married person and someone other than his spouse. Adultery and extramarital affairs are both behaviors that violate socialist morality and are generally regulated by moral norms. However, cohabitation between a spouse and others is an illegal act prohibited by the marriage law, and the actor should bear corresponding legal responsibilities. Article 3 of the Marriage Law stipulates that bigamy is prohibited. Spouses are prohibited from living together with others.

3. Civil legal consequences of spouses living together with others. Marriage law not only explicitly prohibits spouses from cohabiting with others in the general provisions, but also stipulates the legal consequences and legal responsibilities of such illegal acts in other chapters.

In a word, it is very important to distinguish bigamy from cohabitation. Bigamy is a crime. Cohabitation is at best a moral issue, not a crime.