商周妇女称谓及婚姻制度浅探

A Superficial Investigation into the Appellation ofMarried Women and the Matrimonial Systemof Shang and Zhou Dynasties

殷商甲骨文与金文以“帚”字加女子的国族名或国族姓称呼已婚成年女性,而周代文献和金文则多以国族名加国族姓呼之。凡诸候嫁女,同、异姓诸侯均可以其女媵之。有些诸侯国间保持着长期多代的互通婚姻关系以结成稳固的姻亲同盟。

That '女'component is indispensable to the characters for clan surnames from Oracle Inscription and In-scription on Bronze Ritual Vessels reminds us that the origin of clan surname can be dated back to the matriarchalperiod. In Shang Dynasty, married women's names were composed of'帚' and clan names or surnames. When onevassal gave hand of one of his daughters to one son of another, other vassals, sharing the same clan surname or not, can give hands of their daughters as concubines to the same groom. A stable matrimonial alliance was established a-mong many vassaldoms by keeping long-term mutual matrimonial relation carried out by many generations.