An Analysis of the Structure, Ethics, and Ontology of the 'Jia Ren' Hexagram in the Zhou Yi

Section 3: Ancient Marriage Systems and the Jia Ren Hexagram

The ancient Chinese marriage system underwent a long evolution. Although specific details are hard to verify, from scattered records in Pre-Qin texts, we can glimpse some clues.

The Li Ji, Li Yun records Confucius's reminiscence of ancient society:

"When the Great Dao prevailed, the world belonged to the public. Worthy and capable men were selected, and trustworthiness and harmony were emphasized, so that people did not only care for their own parents and children. The old were sustained until their end, the able-bodied found use for their strength, the young were nurtured to maturity, and the widowed, the solitary, the disabled, and the sick all had means of support. Men had their proper roles, and women had their place of return ($\text{guī}$, 归). They hated seeing goods wasted on the ground, and did not necessarily hide them for themselves; they hated seeing strength not exerted by their bodies, and did not necessarily work for themselves. Thus plots were blocked and did not arise, theft and rebellion did not occur. Thus doors were left open without being locked; this is called the Great Harmony ($\text{dà tóng}$, 大同)."

"Men had their proper roles, and women had their place of return" ($\text{nán yǒu fēn, nǚ yǒu guī}$): Men had their duties, and women had their proper place of return. The term "return" ($\text{guī}$) often refers in antiquity to a woman getting married ("This child is returning home"); "women had their place of return" means every woman could marry into a suitable family and secure a stable life. This is the social prerequisite for "Favorable for the woman's firmness" ($\text{lì nǚ zhēn}$): only when society can guarantee every woman has a "place of return" can the woman's "firmness" be possible.

"Now the Great Dao has become obscured, and the world belongs to the families. Each cares for his own relatives, and each cares for his own children. Goods and strength are used for the self. The great men establish inheritance as their rites, and use moats and walls for security. Rites and righteousness are used as the bonds to correct rulers and ministers, to deepen affection between father and son, to harmonize elder and younger brothers, and to bring harmony between husband and wife. They establish institutions and set up fields and hamlets. They honor the worthy, strong, and wise, and take merit for themselves. Thus schemes arise from this, and wars originate from this. Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu, King Cheng, the Duke of Zhou—these were the chosen ones from this. None of these six noble men failed to be diligent in rites. They clearly expressed their righteousness, tested their sincerity, revealed their faults, and practiced benevolence and advocated yielding, showing the people the norms. If anyone did not follow this, those in power were removed, and the masses regarded them as a disaster. This is called the Lesser Perfection ($\text{xiǎo kāng}$, 小康)."

"The world belongs to the families" ($\text{tiān xià wéi jiā}$): The world became the domain of families and clans. "Each cares for his own relatives, and each cares for his own children"—people only loved their own kin and cared for their own children. Although this is considered a regression after the "Great Harmony," it reveals an important historical reality: The establishment of the "family" as the basic social unit was a product of human society reaching a certain stage of development.

In this stage where "the world belongs to the families," "to correct rulers and ministers, to deepen affection between father and son, to harmonize elder and younger brothers, and to bring harmony between husband and wife" became the basic framework for social order—this perfectly corresponds to the Jia Ren Tuan Zhuan's requirement: "Father acts as father, son acts as son, elder brother acts as elder brother, younger brother acts as younger brother, husband acts as husband, and wife acts as wife."

The Shi Jing, Da Ya, Mian describes the establishment of the clan foundation by the Zhou ancestor, Gu Gong Dan Fu:

"Old Duke Dan Fu came, riding his horse in the morning. He led them along the western bank of the river, reaching the plain of Qi. Then he brought his wife Jiang, and they came to survey the dwelling places."

"The plains of Zhou were rich and fertile, the thorny herbs sweet as honey. Then they planned and consulted, and divined using the tortoise shell. They decided where to stop and when, and built their houses there."

"Then he brought his wife Jiang, and they came to survey the dwelling places"—Old Duke Dan Fu, with his wife Jiang, came together to examine where they would live. "Built their houses there"—husband and wife worked together to build a home. This is the ancient prototype of the ideal family depicted in the Jia Ren hexagram.