明朝后妃与国家礼制兴革

On the Relations between Empresses or Imperial Concubines and the Reform of Imperial Rituals in Ming Dynasty

明朝后妃与国家礼制关系密切。后妃身份藉由礼仪制度而得以确立。后妃与皇帝之间的复杂感情又会影响到礼仪制度的兴革,如明代历史上出现的洪武丧服改制、宣德贵妃授宝、弘治别庙奉慈、嘉靖皇后丧礼减杀。此外,后妃生育等问题也会引起国家礼制的兴革。明代后妃与国家礼制的关系,是传统社会"家天下"的必然结果,也体现"礼缘情"、"时为大"的礼学传统。

There were close relations between empresses or imperial concubines and imperial rituals in Ming dynasty. Their statues were determined by those rituals and the reform of the rituals could be caused by some special feeling between the emperor and the empress or imperial concubine. The Ming dynasty saw some examples, such as the reform of mourning system in Hongwu, giving gold seal to the imperial concubine in Xuande, another ancestral temple for his mother in Hongzhi, lowering empress＇ mourning rituals in Jiajing. Meanwhile, the ritual of Gao-mei was put on because the empresses or imperial concubines could not give birth to a boy in Jiajing. The links originated in the social structure of ancient China and embodied the ritualism of ＂li-yuanqing＂（rituals stem from feelings） and ＂shi- wei- da＂（rituals must be adjusted currently）.