The Remarried Widow

Chen HengqingNanhai Publication Company · ChinaJun 2024

3.0

Word count: 586 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

A Weifang man who takes a remarried woman as wife or concubine has her set to cooking the moment she enters the house: she kneads dough, cuts it into long strips, and the whole family eats. Some say this takes the meaning of lasting long. I say: Not so. The Liji, chapter "Hunyi": "Rising early, the woman bathes and waits. At dawn, when the parents-in-law enter the chamber, she presents a whole pigling, showing her wifely compliance." And Wang Jian's poem "The New Bride": "On the third day she enters the kitchen, washes her hands and makes soup." For on the second day she presents the pigling, on the third she enters the kitchen—this is the ancient rite, and it is the rite for a new bride. As for a remarried woman, she takes up cooking the moment she enters, to distinguish her from a bride newly wed for the first time. Some say: A remarried woman mostly does not think of her former husband. That is not always so. My friend Tan Ciyu took a remarried woman as his second wife. On the day she came through the gate, I went to offer my respects. I first went to his study and heard sobbing from the bridal chamber. I asked, and was told: "The new wife is likely thinking of her former husband." I wrote a line of an old poem on the wall for him: "The cicada drags its lingering note across to another branch." I could not bear to go in and pay respects to the bride, and took my leave straightway. I heard that those who went to congratulate him still trooped into the bridal chamber to demand a drink. I said: "The Hanshu, chapter 'Xingfa zhi': 'When a whole hall is drinking and one person faces the corner and weeps, the whole hall is made unhappy.' Do you gentlemen have the heart?" People thought me pedantic. There was also an old friend who took a remarried woman as his second wife, and she brought with her her former husband's son. When the boy was past childhood, he showed uncommon promise, reading ten lines at a glance. I praised him, saying: "Here is another Fan Xiwen." People again blamed me for slandering a former worthy. I said: "I do not resent the blame. May I ask you gentlemen, do you know the meaning of the character jiao?" They all said: "It seems to mean drinking the nuptial cup." I said: "Not so. The Liji, chapter 'Hunyi': 'The father jiao-toasts his son and bids him go to meet her, the man taking precedence over the woman.' Kong's subcommentary says: 'To pour without return-toast is called jiao.' You gentlemen, remember this." Today schools stand in numbers, the Five Classics are no longer read, and more than ten...

Editor's review

Remarried Women is a collection of short notebook-style pieces in which Chen Hengqing examines the marriage customs and ritual institutions of the Weifang region. The book begins with the local custom by which a remarried woman is set to cooking the moment she enters the house, and draws on the Liji, chapter "Hunyi," and Wang Jian's poem "The New Bride" to show that "entering the kitchen on the third day" was originally the rite for a first marriage, while the remarried woman is treated differently—ritual meaning glimpsed in small details. The author is not content with textual glosses; he confirms his points with events and people around him—a friend's second marriage, a bride weeping in the chamber, a boy from a former marriage reading with uncommon speed—so the writing carries temperament, with occasional self-mockery such as "people thought me pedantic," revealing both learning and human feeling. The book unravels layer by layer the meaning of the character jiao and the mistaken idea of the nuptial cup, and can serve as an introductory reader for understanding the interaction between traditional wedding ceremonies and local custom. It suits readers interested in folklore, ritual institutions, and notebook literature for quiet close reading, and also offers material for writers on local culture. Note that its textual research leans heavily on classical commentaries and its prose is terse and archaic; it should not be read as a systematic history of marriage customs.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in traditional marriage customs and the origins of ritual institutions
Readers who enjoy notebook-style essays and short textual investigations
Writers working on local folklore or regional culture
Knowledge-minded readers seeking to understand the rites in the Liji chapter "Hunyi"

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic general history of marriage customs or a sociological monograph
Readers who prefer vernacular narrative and have little patience for classical citation
Readers seeking practical advice on contemporary marriage issues

Reading tips

Begin with the passages quoting the Liji and Wang Jian's poem, then see how the author sets local custom against ancient rite to clarify his line of inquiry.
Mark separately the personal cases—a friend's second marriage, the weeping bride—and feel how the author uses human events to confirm ritual meaning.
When you meet discussions of characters such as jiao and the nuptial cup, consult the original commentaries at hand rather than remembering only the conclusions.
Read only two or three pieces at a time, note one usable folkloric detail, and build it up as writing material.

About the publisher

Nanhai Publication Company China · Founded in 1988

Nanhai Publication Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literature and arts titles, covering fields such as classical poetry, martial arts fiction, and folk literature. Judging from the more than 1,600 books in the database, the company has released classical poetic works including the Nineteen Old Poems and the Nine Songs, as well as multiple volumes of Huanzhulouzhu's series The Swordsmen of Mount Shu, along with related writings by authors such as Guan Hanqing, Qu Yuan, Zuo Si, and Wang Zhihuan. Its publishing character lies in balancing the organization of classic texts with the dissemination of popular literature, placing poetry anthologies alongside long martial arts novels and presenting a relatively diverse literary profile. Public information is limited, and further details about its editorial practices and series planning remain to be supplemented.

版权信息
再醮妇

FAQ

Does the book say that a remarried woman's "taking up cooking the moment she enters" is an ancient rite?

No. The author states clearly that "entering the kitchen on the third day" comes from the Liji, chapter "Hunyi," and Wang Jian's poem "The New Bride," and was originally the rite for a new bride; a remarried woman's taking up cooking on entry is a local practice formed to distinguish her from a first marriage, not the original meaning of the ancient rite.

How does the book explain the character jiao?

People of the time thought jiao resembled drinking the nuptial cup. The author cites the Liji, chapter "Hunyi": "The father jiao-toasts his son and bids him go to meet her," and Kong's subcommentary: "To pour without return-toast is called jiao," explaining that jiao is the rite of the father pouring wine and bidding his son go to meet the bride, which is not the same as drinking the nuptial cup.

Why does the author mock himself with "people thought me pedantic"?

Those who went to congratulate the friend trooped into the bridal chamber to demand a drink, and the author, citing the Hanshu, chapter "Xingfa zhi": "When one person faces the corner and weeps, the whole hall is made unhappy," held that since the bride was weeping, the others should not behave so; for this he was mocked as pedantic. This precisely shows his regard for human feeling.

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About the author

Chen Hengqing Author · Chinese · 1844–1920

Chen Hengqing (1844–1920), courtesy name Zijiu, was a native of Weixian in Shandong (present-day Weicheng District, Weifang). A late Qing official and scholar, he passed the provincial examination in 1873 and the metropolitan examination in 1886. He served successively as a secretary in the Ministry of Works, rising through the Waterways, Construction, and Colonization Departments, and later held posts as Supervising Censor of the Ministry of War, Investigating Censor of the Henan Circuit, and Chief Supervising Censor. In 1908 he was appointed prefect of Jinzhou. He retired at sixty and wrote works including Jianshu Xian Notes (also known as Jili Qingtan) and Unofficial Gleanings of the Late Qing. His extant writings are considerable, with 154 titles held in our collection, many drawing on folk literature and Eastern philosophy. They touch on modern upheavals such as the militia conflicts, the Boxer movement, and the Nian rebels, as well as rural tales and social types like foxes and swindlers, and social issues such as Manchu-Han differences, bearing the documentary flavor of note-style historiography. Public information is limited, and his literary standing and influence await further study.