Even worse than antenatal betrothals was posthumous marriage. It was also called marriage of the dead, or ghost marriage, which meant unmarried but dead young men and women were married in the nether world by the arrangement of their living parents. It is assumed that this custom came into being before the Qin Dynasty (the 3rd century BC). Marriage of the dead was clearly prohibited by th government, but this custom continued and grew in spite of the ban. And there appeared ghost matchmakers, who proposed marriage for the dead, together with paper houses and paper furniture to be enjoyed by the dead couple.

The Ming and Qing dynasties (the 14th century to 20th century) saw another type of posthumous marriage, namely marriage between the dead and the living. If one of an engaged couple died before their marriage, the living partner had to abide by the marriage contract and marry the one who had died. No other custom could be worse.