網(wǎng)友熱議：為什么中國皇帝有上千個(gè)妃子，而西方國王卻只有一個(gè)妻子？

In China’s case there might be similar ‘’Eastern’’ reasoning. Western kingdoms continued on even the ruling families changed. ( For ex: Britain) In eastern kingdoms , once family change, the kingdom change as well. Therefore keeping the birth record was important and system of concubines served a purpose.

在當(dāng)時(shí)的中國，可能存在類似的“東方”思維。西方王國即使統(tǒng)治家族變化，仍然存在下去（例如：英國）。在東方王國中，一旦家族變化，王國也會(huì)變化。因此，保持出生記錄很重要，而妻妾制度對(duì)此有重要意義。

Polygamy was common practice in feudal China, although only upper- and wealthy middle-class men could afford to take several wives. It was seen as an affirmation of male potency, and the presence of many women was taken to indicate a man’s virility.

在封建中國，一夫多妻制是普遍存在并允許的，盡管只有上層和富裕階層男性才能承擔(dān)得起娶幾個(gè)妻子。這被視作是對(duì)男性力量的肯定，擁有多位女性被視為男人陽剛之氣和有能力的象征。

The emphasis was on procreation and the continuity of the father’s family name. Confucianism emphasised the ability of a man to manage a family as part of his personal growth in daxue (great learning). In the case of the emperor, guaranteeing a successor to the throne was of paramount importance.

重點(diǎn)是生育和父親家族名字的延續(xù)。儒家強(qiáng)調(diào)一個(gè)男人作為他在大學(xué)（大學(xué)之學(xué)）中個(gè)人成長的一部分，能夠管理一個(gè)家庭的能力。對(duì)于皇帝而言，確保王位的繼承人至關(guān)重要。

I am doubtful about the figure of thousands of concubines … Probably it depends on emperor to emperor but the main rules of concubine system looks obvious in Chinese system. Ming dynasty probably kept lots of concubines… Other than that I am not sure of figure of thousands..

我對(duì)成千上萬的妻妾數(shù)字表示懷疑...可能這取決于不同的皇帝，但妻妾制度的主要規(guī)則在中國體制中顯而易見。明朝可能養(yǎng)了很多妾...除此之外，我對(duì)成千上萬的數(shù)字不太確定。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://www.top-shui.cn 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處

‘’ In fact, the palace was mainly residential. It was the place where the emperor lived, the place where the concubines lived, and the eunuchs who looked after them. One authority claims that there were 10,000 concubines living in the Palace, which does seem rather excessive. ‘’ Source of the quoted paragraphs: Where the concubines lived - Ancient China

“實(shí)際上，宮殿主要是居住區(qū)。這是皇帝居住的地方，也是妻妾和照顧她們的太監(jiān)居住的地方。有一種說法稱宮殿中居住著1萬名妾，這看起來有點(diǎn)過分。” 引用段落的來源：妾居之地 - 古代中國

‘The four principles of polygamy in feudal China were:

封建中國一夫多妻制的四個(gè)原則是：

‘’ 1. The strict distinction between main wife and concubines
The main wife was superior to all other wives. She was responsible for submitting to the higher principles of polygamy and to mentor the other wives in harmonious behaviour for the greater good.

主妻與妾之間的嚴(yán)格區(qū)分
主妻優(yōu)于其他所有妻子。她負(fù)責(zé)遵守一夫多妻制的更高原則，并指導(dǎo)其他妻子以和諧的行為維護(hù)家族更大的利益。

2. Women must not be jealous
Women, especially the main wife, had to rise above their earthly emotions. The belief that they were living for a higher purpose presumably helped displace feelings of bitterness, jealousy and rivalry.

2. 女人不得嫉妒
女人，尤其是主妻，必須超越塵世的情感。他們生活在更高目標(biāo)之中的信仰可能有助于消除痛苦、嫉妒和競爭的情感。

3. Attachment could radically destabilise polygamy
The husband should not have a favourite, nor should any of the wives monopolise the man. Love had to be distributed evenly among the wives, which effectively meant that passionate attachment was not acceptable.

3. 依戀可能會(huì)使一夫多妻制極度不穩(wěn)定
丈夫不應(yīng)該有偏愛，任何妻子都不應(yīng)該壟斷這個(gè)男人。愛必須均勻分配給妻子，這意味著強(qiáng)烈的依戀是不可接受的。

4. Polygamy could only survive by observing a strict hierarchy
Each dynasty had its own set of titles and ranks for the imperial wives. The empress ranked at the top, with more wives filling successive echelons below her. Most wives occupied the lower echelons. Hierarchy was determined at specific times, such as when a new wife joined the imperial family and was assigned a rank.’’ Source of the quoted paragraphs: Why beauty was a curse for women in imperial China

4. 一夫多妻制只能通過遵守嚴(yán)格的等級(jí)制度來生存
每個(gè)朝代都為皇帝的妻子制定了一套自己的頭銜和級(jí)別?；屎筇幱谧罡呶恢茫旅嬗泻芏嗟钠拮犹钛a(bǔ)多階層的妃子位置。大多數(shù)妻子占據(jù)較低的梯隊(duì)。等級(jí)制度是在特定時(shí)期確定的，比如當(dāng)新妻子加入皇室并被分配一個(gè)級(jí)別時(shí)?！?引用段落的來源：為什么美貌對(duì)古代中國女性是一種詛咒

An Election Process For a Wife
It is better not to confuse election process with figure of thousands… Thousands of concubines is a problem for sexual rotation, palace security and finances. Most of the time , real number was probably much less…

挑選妻子的過程
最好不要將選舉過程與數(shù)千的數(shù)字混淆...成千上萬的妾對(duì)性輪換、宮殿安全和財(cái)政都是問題。大多數(shù)時(shí)候，實(shí)際數(shù)字可能要少得多...

‘’ In 1621, Ming Emperor Tianqi sent eunuchs across the country to handpick 5,000 young women aged 13 to 16, from whom he would sext a wife.

“1621年，明朝天啟皇帝派太監(jiān)遍布全國，精選了5000名年齡在13至16歲之間的年輕女性，他將從中選擇一位妻子。

During the first round of the competition, the women stood in lines of 100 according to age. One thousand were eliminated for being too tall, short, fat or thin.

在比賽的第一輪中，女性按年齡排成100人一隊(duì)。有一千人因身材太高、太矮、太胖或太瘦而被淘汰。

On the second day, the eunuchs intensively examined the women’s bodies and uated their voices and manner. This slimmed down the field by another 2,000.

第二天，太監(jiān)們對(duì)女性的身體進(jìn)行了深入檢查，評(píng)估了她們的聲音和舉止。這進(jìn)一步減少了2000名參賽者。

The third day was spent observing their feet, hands and grace of movement. Another 1,000 were eliminated. The remaining 1,000 underwent gynaecological examinations, dismissing another 700 from the process.

第三天的測試在觀察她們的腳、手和動(dòng)作的優(yōu)雅上。又有1,000人被淘汰。剩下的1,000人接受了婦科檢查，又有700人被淘汰。

The remaining 300 were then housed in the palace where they underwent a month-long series of tests of intelligence, merit, temperament and moral character.

剩下的300人被安置在宮殿里，接受了一個(gè)為期一個(gè)月的智力、才能、氣質(zhì)和道德品質(zhì)的系列測試。

The top 50 candidates were subject to further examinations and interviews about mathematics, literature and art, and ranked accordingly.

前50名候選人接受了有關(guān)數(shù)學(xué)、文學(xué)和藝術(shù)的進(jìn)一步考試和面試，并相應(yīng)排名。

The three favourites would receive the highest ranking for imperial concubines.

最后選出的前三名將被評(píng)為皇室妾的最高級(jí)別。

Only a few of those who made it through this rigorous process would be noticed by the emperor and win his favour. Most would spend their lives in loneliness and, unsurprisingly, jealousy was rife. Beauty was more of a curse than a blessing in China during this period of history. ‘’ Source of the quoted paragraphs: Why beauty was a curse for women in imperial China

只有少數(shù)通過這個(gè)嚴(yán)格過程的人會(huì)被皇帝注意并贏得他的青睞。大多數(shù)人將度過他們孤獨(dú)無助的一生，不出所料，嫉妒是普遍存在的。在這個(gè)歷史時(shí)期，美貌更像是一種詛咒而不是一種祝福?！?引用段落的來源：

Why beauty was a curse for women in imperial China

為什么美貌對(duì)于中國古代婦女來說是一種詛咒

Naturally, concubines were strictly forbidden from having sex with anyone other than the emperor. Most of their activities were overseen and monitored by eunuchs, who wielded great power in the palace. Concubines were required to bathe and be examined by a court doctor before the emperor visited their bed chamber. With hundreds, sometimes thousands, of concubines at the emperor’s disposal, any lady the emperor graced with a visit would be subject to jealous rivalries. Concubines had their own rooms and would fill their days applying make-up, sewing, practising various arts and socialising with other concubines. Many of them spent their entire lives in the palace without any contact with the emperor.

當(dāng)然，妾是嚴(yán)格禁止與皇帝以外的任何人發(fā)生性關(guān)系的。她們的大部分活動(dòng)都由太監(jiān)監(jiān)督和監(jiān)控，太監(jiān)在宮殿中擁有巨大的權(quán)力。妾必須在皇帝造訪她們的臥室之前進(jìn)行沐浴并接受宮廷醫(yī)生的檢查。由于皇帝手下有數(shù)百，有時(shí)甚至有數(shù)千名妾，任何受到皇帝臨幸的女子都會(huì)引起別人的嫉妒。妾們有自己的房間，她們的日子都是在涂口紅、縫紉、練習(xí)各種藝術(shù)和與其他妾社交中度過的。許多妾雖然在宮中度過整個(gè)一生，卻沒有機(jī)會(huì)與皇帝接觸。

Cixi, the controversial concubine who became queen, led China into the modern age. After Cixi seized power, the brilliant queen regent of China never let it go and guided her people into the 20th century.

慈禧，這位成為皇后的備受爭議的妾，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)中國進(jìn)入了現(xiàn)代時(shí)代。在慈禧奪取了權(quán)力之后，這位杰出的中國女皇攝政者從未放手，并引導(dǎo)著她的人民走向20世紀(jì)。

Melania Van
This was for breeding male offspring to ensure the regime. Concubines were not wives. China followed a strict one husband one wife system. Manchu followed muti wives, multi concubines rule.

這是為了繁衍男性子嗣，以確保政權(quán)。妾并非妻子。中國遵循嚴(yán)格的一夫一妻制度。滿洲人則奉行一夫多妻、多妾的規(guī)定。

Chinese Emperors all needed to get approval from the Empress Consorts when they wanted to sleep with concubines.

中國皇帝在想要與妾共寢時(shí)，都需要得到皇后的批準(zhǔn)。

In the Han Dynasty, Emperors born to concubines were not allowed to title their mother the Empress Dowager.

在漢代，由妾所生的皇帝不得封其母為皇太后。

Concubines were not allowed to raise their own children, not allowed to leave the Imperial Palace, and not allowed to live with their children. Concubines were not allowed to be buried in the family tomb, and not allowed to reserve sacrifice from offspring after death.

妾不得撫養(yǎng)自己的子女，不得離開皇宮，也不得與子女同住。妾不得葬于家族墳?zāi)?，死后也不得保留后代的祭祀?/b>