從香火到香油錢──明清小說中女性宗教活動的信仰光環與塵俗世道

From Incense to Money Offering to the Deities: The Aura of Faith and Secular Dynamics in Women’s Religious Activities in Ming and Qing Novels

本文主要由小說中女性進香等相關活動，以及俚曲、筆記等文獻之書寫，探析女性如何透過具體有徵的「物質」來展現「願望的得遂」的歷程，她們不僅在家庭的發言權上造成緊張，也在經濟上造成壓力。文本中的交換與交易，女性如何給男性壓力──一種負面情緒的贈予，以取得男性的首肯與資助其宗教活動，並由此延伸出女性之間的競爭。小說中有關女性在宗教、儀式、禮俗之間，信奉或崇拜行為的祈求、酬神、還願、祭奠、供奉等行為方式，具有嚴肅的教化、遊戲的玩耍、諧趣的諷刺、無情的解構等意涵，許願、還願與供奉的宗教活動，也可以以消費文化的視角來探討進香時女性外在的裝扮，她們同時也可能滿足男性炫勢、炫富的心態，其功利性與炫富色彩甚至充滿了利益的計算與社會競爭，女性宗教活動是一種重要的社交活動手段，在人際與自我之間，饒富多層次的意涵。

This paper primarily explores how women in Ming and Qing novels, through activities such as temple visits and related rituals, as well as in Liqu (vulgar music), Biji (Classic Chinese novelette) , and other texts, manifest the process of“wish fulfilment”through tangible and material means. These activities not only create tensions within the family regarding women’s authority but also impose economic pressures. The exchange and transactions depicted in the texts highlight how women exert pressure on men—a kind of emotional burden—as a means to gain their approval and financial support for religious activities, leading to competition among women. The religious and ritualistic practices portrayed in the novels, such as worship, offerings, vow redemption, sacrifices, and devotion, carry diverse meanings: from serious moral instruction to playful amusement, satirical irony, and ruthless deconstruction. Acts of making vows, fulfilling them, and offering donations can also be examined through the lens of consumer culture, particularly in the way women present themselves during temple visits. Such religious activities could simultaneously satisfy men’s desires to flaunt power and wealth, revealing elements of utilitarianism and materialistic display, as well as calculations of profit and social rivalry. Women’s religious practices thus emerge as a significant form of social interaction, rich with multifaceted meanings that navigate between interpersonal and individual realms.