RESEARCH ON CONFUCIANISM REFLECTED IN CHINESE MARRIAGE PROVERBS

Abstract

This research delves into the significant social institution of marriage in Chinese culture, as encapsulated by traditional Chinese proverbs. Chinese proverbs, passed down from generation to generation, reflect the cultural, moral, and philosophical traditions that have shaped Chinese society for centuries. One of the most notable traditions in China was Confucianism, which had a significant impact on Chinese thought and behavior for over two millennia. Chinese marriage proverbs were often colloquial phrases created by folklore and widely circulated; they were vivid, expressive and sometimes humorous, reflecting Chinese views and attitudes towards marriage. They often contained wisdom and experience that could guide or advise people on how to deal with marriage, and also reflected the phenomenon of marriage in real life.

Literature and qualitative analysis were used to study Chinese marriage proverbs. We find that Chinese marriage proverbs reflect the fact that the Chinese people attach great importance to marriage and advocate early marriages, emphasize the character of the spouse, believe that the husband and wife have different responsibilities and duties, and advocate harmonious and stable marriages. The aim was to reveal the influence of Confucianism on Chinese marriage proverbs and the shaping of Chinese concepts of marriage by researching marriage proverbs and analyzing the philosophical principles embedded in them. This study is important for gaining a better understanding of the concept of marriage in Chinese society and how Confucianism influences other aspects of Chinese society. We have tried to provide a new perspective on the formation and evolution of the concept of marriage in Chinese society, and this study can serve as a reference for constructing a corpus of proverbs and contribute to cross-cultural studies comparing the differences in marriage concepts between China and the West.