Study Chinese with Keats School. Today, we will introduce two characters which represent “marriage” in English.

In ancient times, “结婚” (to get married) was written as “结昏”. In ancient times, Chinese people often held their wedding ceremonies at dusk (黄昏huán? hūn). This is related to the primitive custom of “marriage by capture” (抢婚qiǎn? hūn). As it turns our, in primitive society, Chinese men gradually gained status and leadership authority through their production activities.

In order to ensure the continuation of the paternal line, men no longer joined women’s clans; instead, they demanded their wife lived in their own home. However, as soon as a woman moved in with her husband, she would lose the authority and status that she once had. As a result, many women refused to get married. To deal with this resistance, men restored to force to subdue their bride-to-be, hence the expression “marriage by capture” came out. This kind of “抢婚” custom once existed throughout the world. Because of its forceful nature, this kind of marriage could only be smoothly implemented once darkness fell, i.e. at dusk. This is why “结婚” was written as “结昏”.