What is the difference between a concubine and a wife?

A man can only have one wife, including the emperor, and only one queen at a time. In the eyes of our ancestors, wife and concubine are completely two concepts. A wife is a wife and a concubine is a concubine.

Madame

[Transferred from Tiexue Community /post_5703939_ 1.html/]

The "wife" is a matchmaker's appointment at the request of parents, and the Ming media is marrying over, which is the "first house";

concubine

Concubine is not a formal marriage, but a "wing room" and can't be called a "wife".

history

During the period of clan society, the country had a "marriage system", which only clan leaders were qualified to implement. That is, when a daughter gets married, the Yue family must be accompanied by a niece with the same surname. Sisters or slaves married in the past naturally belong to concubines, and it goes without saying that sisters and concubines are higher than slaves. Later, the "concubine" officially appeared. Concubine in the family, although undertaking the obligation of bearing children, cannot enjoy the treatment of "wife". Why? The initial reason is simple-the wife's family background is higher than that of the concubine. Concubines generally come from humble families, even gifts from the defeated side. Therefore, the wife is "married" and the concubine is "accepted". The property given to the Yues by their wives when they get married is called "dowry", while the property given when they take their concubines is called "buying money for concubines". Gu Liang Biography: "Don't be my wife". In other words, concubines are not qualified to be wives, and men who have concubines and no wives are still unmarried "bachelors". When the first wife dies, even if her husband has a room full of concubines, he is a widower without a wife. He should find another good family to hire the first wife. The identity of a concubine is a foregone conclusion, and it has become an iron law in the Tang and Song Dynasties. "I am a bitch", "I know how to buy and sell" and "I am the wife of a guest girl for one and a half years" in A Brief Introduction to the Law of the Tang Dynasty. If I was promoted to be a wife, it would be a violation of the criminal law. Once the incident happens, the couple will have to serve a year and a half in prison together, and they will still have to divorce. Under such a law, a woman who has become a concubine is no longer a person, and it is common for her husband or first wife to abuse concubines. Hui Yuan: "If I take it, I can meet a gentleman but not a husband and wife." It turns out that concubines are only for the handover of men and women. They can only call their husbands brothers, but they are not qualified to call them husband and wife. Book of Rites: "A concubine buyer has the same property as her base." The same is to sleep with my husband and give birth to children for him, and my concubine's identity is just a bought item. Besides, China was an absolute class society and patriarchal society in ancient times, and the marriage of children was decided by parents. Perhaps in order to fundamentally put an end to free love between young men and women, especially between different classes, legal provisions should strictly stipulate the division of wives and concubines. "Book of Rites": "Runners are concubines, parents are cheap", "Good quality and low price don't get married". In other words, if the young children's free love is blocked and they meet and elope, the woman is not qualified to be a wife, and both families only think that she is just a concubine. [ 1]

Ancient legal provisions and interpretations

[Transferred from Iron Blood Community/]

At that time, although the law stipulated that mistresses could not be married, it did not prohibit people from marrying concubines. It is illegal to take a second wife, but if you take a second concubine, a third concubine or a fourth concubine, it doesn't matter, although it is no different from polygamy in essence. Chinese characters are really wonderful! In the Ming dynasty, there was even a law that "any man over forty who has no children can take concubines". You see, if your wife doesn't live up to expectations and can't have a son, even if you want to be "loyal", you can't be "loyal" because you will be forced to take a concubine. "Monogamy" was clearly stipulated by law in ancient times: Tang Gaozong's "Yong Hui Fa Shu" stipulated in "Family Marriage": "If a wife marries more than one year, the female family will be reduced by one; If you marry a man who cheats on you, you will only stay for a year and a half. If the woman doesn't sit, she will stay with each other. " In other words, you have a legally married wife, legally married, sentenced to one year in prison, and your second wife's family also sentenced, but a little less. Therefore, three wives and four concubines do not mean that you can marry three wives, but that you can marry another one after your wife dies, but not two at the same time. Otherwise, you will not only be sentenced, but also be forced to divorce your second wife. Although I can only marry one wife, I can marry more, because "concubine" is not a "wife". Even if my wife dies, I can't help myself. Gu Liang Biography: "Don't be my wife". In other words, concubines are not qualified to be wives, and men who have concubines and no wives are still unmarried "bachelors". When the first wife dies, even if her husband has a room full of concubines, he is a widower without a wife. He should find another good family to hire the first wife. The Law of the Tang Dynasty clearly stipulates: "I am an inferior person", "I know how to buy and sell" and "I have been married to a Hakka woman for a year and a half." In other words, if your wife dies and you want to promote your beloved concubine to a wife, it is a violation of the criminal law. Once the incident happens, the couple will have to serve a year and a half together, and they will still have to divorce. Of course, my position at home is not the lowest. There are also maids below, that is, maids who have the obligation to sleep with their masters, and can only be regarded as handmaiden. For example, the attack in A Dream of Red Mansions. Only the maids who have gone through the formalities can be called concubines, such as Aunt Zhao in A Dream of Red Mansions. In the family, although the duty of a concubine is to serve her husband's housekeeper and have children, she is similar to the master's slave, but for a servant, she should be the master. However, the rights of concubines in the family are very limited and humble. Can't participate in family sacrifices and be rejected by the family. My relatives cannot be listed as in-laws, and even my children (that is, my concubine) must recognize the official wife as the "first mother", while the biological mother can only be the "common mother". In this way, the children born to my concubine are young ladies and my concubine is a slave; My aunt calls her children Miss Young Master, while her own children only call her "Aunt". For concubines, husbands can dispose of them at will, or beat and scold them, or send them away, or even kill them. The laws of Tang and Song Dynasties only sentence them to exile. The punishment of the Great Qing Law is relatively light, just "one hundred sticks, only three years". But if a concubine beats and scolds her husband, the punishment is much more severe than that of a wife. Beating my husband, "don't ask if it hurts, it's only a year or a year and a half." At home, a wife can order a concubine, beat and scold her, but she must not violate her. My concubine has committed the same crime as her husband. Therefore, concubines have no rights in patriarchal families, and they are masters in name, but in fact they are no different from slaves. But generally speaking, the status, status and rights of people who have given birth to children for their in-laws will often be improved in the family. In addition, the rights and interests of concubines vary with the family background and the education of the head of household, which often leads to the subtle relationship between wives, concubines and husbands. In monogamous and polygamous families, the balance of gender relations is extremely important. Being in favor and falling out of favor always leads to family conflicts. For concubines, only when they have sex can they enjoy the same rights as their wives. Moreover, because of their reproductive responsibilities, they are superior to their wives and can often contact their husbands. However, if the wife is absent, the concubine is not allowed to spend the night with her husband and must leave after sexual intercourse.

The difference between concubinage and concubinage in ancient times.

Marrying a wife is very formal, and it is necessary to be suitable, to be divined, and to be married by the media. The dowry given by the man and the dowry given by the woman are very rich. When you get married, you need a wedding procession with "ten miles of red makeup". The woman wears a red wedding dress and the groom wears a red dress to meet the bride in person. The procession has priority on the official road, and officials of all sizes should avoid it. This is a tradition left by the Southern Song Dynasty. When the woman goes to the man's house, the man needs to open the middle door wide, put up a happy shed, put on red clothes at all the doors, invite relatives and friends from all over the country to pay homage to the parents of heaven and earth, and then tell his ancestors to enter the spectrum. The emperor marries the queen through the middle door of all the doors. In ancient times, except the emperor, only the new champion could have this honor. Going home three days after marriage, my wife is still dressed in red. In addition, the wife is the head of the family, leading the wives and managing the housework, and has the right to punish and manage them. Concubine is much simpler. Just take a sedan chair and enter the man's house from the side door. No wedding ceremony, little dowry, generally no dowry. The man usually only invites relatives and friends at home, and only the inner courtyard simply hangs a few red silks. You can't see a wedding at home. Women can only wear blue clothes when they return home after marriage. Although I am also the master of the family, I am only better than the servant, even worse than the housekeeper or servant. The royal concubines promised to enter the palace from Shenwumen. Although there are also canonization ceremonies, the scale and grand degree are obviously not the same as the wedding.

Getting along with wives and concubines in ancient times

In ancient families, although the duties of wives and concubines were to serve husbands, housekeepers and bear children, concubines were similar to slaves of householders, but for handmaids and servants, concubines should be regarded as masters. At the same time, concubines' rights in the family are very limited and humble. First of all, I can't take part in family sacrifices. I am excluded from the family. My relatives cannot be listed as in-laws, and even my children (that is, my concubine) must recognize the official wife as the "first mother", while the biological mother can only be the "common mother". In this way, the children born to my concubine are young ladies and my concubine is a slave; My aunt calls her children Miss Young Master, while her own children just call her "Aunt". For example, in A Dream of Red Mansions, Aunt Zhao, the concubine of Jia Zheng, was not only looked down upon by all the masters in the house, but also neglected by a servant girl with a little status. Aunt Zhao's biological daughter Tanchun denied her as a mother, and her biological mother's brother denied her as an uncle. She only recognizes Jia Zheng's wife, Mrs. Wang, as her mother. The biological blood relationship between mother and daughter has become a master-slave relationship under the moral norms of patriarchal clan system. As for my concubine, I can only think of myself as a person who gives birth to a child, not a wife. Because of the strict distinction between officials and ordinary people, concubines have a low status, and after the death of the first wife, they must marry another wife, which has caused many disadvantages. In addition, in the relationship with the husband, if the husband is the wife, the relationship between husband and wife is inherently unequal, so the relationship between the concubine and the husband is even more uneven. For concubines, husbands can dispose of them at will, or beat and scold them, or send them away, or even kill them. Tang and Song Laws only sentence them to exile. The punishment of the Great Qing Law is relatively light, just "one hundred sticks, only three years". But if a concubine beats and scolds her husband, the punishment is much more severe than that of a wife. Beating my husband, "don't ask if it hurts, it's only a year or a year and a half." At home, a wife can order a concubine, beat and scold her, but she must not violate her. My concubine has committed the same crime as her husband. Therefore, concubines have no rights in patriarchal families, and they are masters in name, but in fact they are no different from slaves. But generally speaking, the status, status and rights of people who have given birth to children for their in-laws will often be improved in the family. In addition, the rights and interests of concubines are different due to different family backgrounds and family upbringing, which often leads to the subtle relationship between wives, concubines and husbands.