北宋士族婦女的教育

The Education of Northern Sung Elite Women

北宋時期，士族婦女大都能識字。本文以墓誌資料為主，試圖勾畫她們所受的教育，以及她們教育兒女的大致情形。一般來說，士族婦女所受的是家庭教育，不過，有些婦女的程度顯然超過了初級教育。從墓誌資料裏，可以看到很多婦女所讀的書，從經史，詩文，到佛道經典，不一而足。可是，由於女子局限於家庭之中，她們的作品多半是詩詞，而在年老時大都唸經拜佛。雖然如此，士族婦女有受教育的必要，因為她們往往要主持家政，兼顧族人的事務，以及管理家產。她們的責任並不只是傳宗接代，而必須具有多方面的才幹和知識。有知識的婦女時常要兼主內外，在丈夫求取功名，出外工作，甚至丈夫不理會子女的教育的時候，親自教育子女，或者監督兒子讀書。尤其在丈夫早死的情況下，不願再嫁的寡婦的責任更是沈重。著者認為一個女子是否有知識應當是北宋士大夫安排婚姻的一個重要的條件。

Many elite women (women of shih-tzu) in Northern Sung times were literate. This essay is an attempt to trace their education and the role in their children's education. Even though the education of Northern Sung elite women was elementary and informal, many women appear to have been highly educated. Examples of literate women's biographies (mu-chih or funerary inscriptions) in Sung collected works show that they read and studied a variety of books, from classics, histories, and literature to Buddhist and Taoist works. However, being confined to the household, most women of letters only wrote poems and there are some surviving pieces. In their old age many women believed in Buddhism and enjoyed reading Buddhist sutras. Education was a necessity for elite women because they often had to be managers of their husbands' households, of matters of clan members, and of estates. In fact, women were valued not only for their role in producing and bringing up heirs, but also for their many skills. They often assumed a major role in the direction of their children's education, when their husbands were pursuing a degree through the civil service examinations, or were appointed official positions away from their homes. Many strong-willed women were determined to teach their sons or to supervise their education when their husbands ignored education or died early. Not all women stayed home. The widows who chose not to remarry had to engage in many productive activities in order to support themselves and their children. In sum, literate women seem to have been desirable wives for Northern Sung elite men.