中國親屬結構：相對性、父系嗣系群與聯姻

CHINESE KINSHIP STRUCTURE: RECIPROCITY, PATRILINEAGE, AND ALLIANCE

本文主要要處理的問題是中國人如何把親屬關係加以類分，以及不同的親屬範疇之間如何發生關聯。很幸運地，我們有一套既對稱又完整的書面親屬稱謂，把這些稱謂依據中國人對父系嗣系群的觀念加以歸類，可以得出稱謂體系內所包含的各個父系嗣系群及其範圍。由於一個父系嗣系群必得由他群娶入女人，因此父系嗣系群內有血緣親屬與姻緣親屬之分；由於一個父系嗣系群內的女人必須嫁出而屬他群，因此父系嗣系群外亦有血緣親屬（即父系女性成員之後嗣）與姻緣親屬（即父系女性成員的丈夫）的劃分。這兩個劃分使得親屬體系內，除了各個父系嗣系群的劃分，亦有各個不同次範疇的劃分。本文的分析發現這些次範疇之間有非常明顯而且清楚的相對性的法則存在。此外，本文的分析亦發現中國親屬體系內複雜的聯姻（complex alliance）模式，即每一個父系嗣系群均行外婚制，須從他群娶入女人，而且自己的女人也必須嫁出而屬他群。中國的親屬體系便是以己之父系嗣系群為中心，在這樣的聯姻模式下發展而成，主要包括自己與配偶的父系嗣系群，這些嗣系群的尊輩直系女性親屬所來自的父系嗣系群，以及以上所述之嗣系群的女性成員嫁出後所屬之父系嗣系群。所有的這些父系嗣系群依其與己之父系嗣系群之系譜距離的遠近，其所包含的親屬範圍有漸次縮小的現象。也就是說，自己的父系親屬有最多的親屬稱謂，其他的嗣系群則視關係的遠近，關係越遠的嗣系群，親屬稱謂越少。最後，本文根據以上的分析建構一個中國近代親屬體系的模型，此一模型顯示出中國親屬體系是由相對性、父系嗣系群與聯姻三個結構要素之互相交錯影響與運作而形成。此一模型亦顯示出中國親屬結構是一個開放無邊的，而且是複雜的體系，此一模型既是一個機械的模型，同時也是一個土著的模型。

This paper is mainly a study of Chinese kin classification using modern standard kin terms as data. All terms are categorized according to to which patrilineages they belong. A patrilineage is further divided into two subcategories: consanguineal kin who are born into the patrilineage and affinal kin who are married into the patrilineage. Two other subcategories outside of the patrilineage are also distinguished: the husbands of female agnates (by marriage) and ths descendants of female agnates (by birth). Fifty-eight subcategories which fall within thirty-six patrilineages are thus found in the Chinese kinship system. Between these subcategories, there exist rules of reciprocity. These rules explain how the genealogical principle of reciprocity has come to interact with the cultural idea of patrilineage. Between all patrilineages, there exist two kinds of alliance relation, marrying-in relation and marrying-out relation. These relations explain how patrilineages are maintained through the establishment of marriage ties with each other. The Chinese kinship system found in this analysis is centered on ego's patrilineage, in which other patrilineages are included according to their direct and indirect marriage ties with ego's patrilineage. Moreover, the more distant they are from ego's patrilineage, the less number of terms in the patrilineages are included. A model of the modern Chinese kinship system is finally constructed in which it contains three structural elements: reciprocity, patrilineage, and alliance. The model is also presented as an open-ended structure, a complex structure, a mechanical model as well as a folk model.