Patriarchal clan system

The Patriarchal system (Chinese: 宗法; pinyin: zōngfǎ; lit. 'clan law') was an important political system in the Western Zhou. The patriarchal system was based on blood relations, with firstborn succession at its core, and played a role in maintaining the Western Zhou political hierarchy and stabilizing social order.[1][2] Together with the ritual and music system it is seen as having been the foundation of Zhou society[3]

This article is about the political hierarchy system in the Western Zhou. For the general concept of male-dominated societies, see Patriarchy.

Overview

The Zhou people had the custom of building ancestral temples early on, and the clan temple housed a Spirit tablet representing the ancestor, and the number of "temples" built inside depended on the hierarchical status of the patriarch. In addition to rituals, the temples were also used for major ceremonies and decisions, and had the character of a ceremonial hall. This respect for the ancestors strengthened the unity within the clan and stabilized the social structure. Complementing the clan temple system was the clan tomb system, in which nobles and state officials were buried en masse in public cemeteries during the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods. According to the three books of rites, all clansmen should be buried in the clan tomb, except for the murderous dead. The patriarch sometimes had to go to the clan tomb to report the ancestors when there was an urgent matter.[4]

In the Western Zhou dynasty, "Xing" and "Shi" were two concepts, with "Xing" indicating descent and "Shi" being a branch of "Xing". The nobles were given a "given name" by their fathers when they were young, and "Courtesy name" when they were adults.[5] The "Courtesy name" is taken at the "Crown Ceremony" or "Maturity Ceremony", or sometimes at marriage for women.[6] For men, there are three characters in the full name of the individual: the first character indicates the lineage of the eldest and youngest (伯、仲、叔、季, occasionally 孟), the second character is arbitrary, and the last character is the character for "father".[7] This is similar to cadency in Western heraldry.

Similar to the clan society, the nobles of the Zhou dynasty forbade Same-surname marriage.[8][9]: 22–23 

See Also

References
  1. 杨习梅 (2016). 中国监狱史. p. 44. ISBN 978-7-5118-9582-0. Archived from the original on 2021-10-12. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  2. ""宗法"字的解释 | 汉典". www.zdic.net (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  3. "常识必背 | 什么是礼乐制度？_音乐_身份_阶级". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  4. Sanli
  5. "秦始皇︰一場歷史的思辨之旅". 博客來. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  6. Wilkinson, Endymion Porter (2018). Chinese History: A New Manual. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center. p. 143-145. ISBN 978-0998888309.
  7. "古人常说"伯仲叔季"，其中玄妙你知道多少？古人：切记，不可乱用!". sa.sogou.com. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
  8. 牟潤孫 (1990). 海遺雜著 (in Chinese). Hong Kong: Chinese University Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-962-201-407-7.
  9. Ip, King Tak (2014). 儒家家庭價值的應用與生物科技倫理. International Journal of Chinese & Comparative Philosophy of Medicine (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 12 (1). doi:10.24112/ijccpm.121554. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
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