Chapter 14 Section IV Content and Structure

The ancient genealogy played an important role in the selection of officials, succession to nobles, marriage, social interaction, property inheritance, and family harmony.Therefore, when compiling a family tree, all these aspects should be included to pass on to the present and future generations.From the generation of genealogy, for more than 3,000 years, due to the different times, the emphasis on the content of genealogy is also different. The genealogy in ancient times was only unique to kings, princes and nobles. This point can be confirmed from the oracle bone objects and the relevant parts of "Historical Records". The genealogy in the pre-Qin period paid special attention to lineage, and the content of the family tree was relatively simple, only lineage.After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the selection of officials, marriages, and social interactions all depended on family status. In this way, the role of genealogy in political, economic and social life was greatly enhanced, and the content of genealogy also increased correspondingly.The genealogies from the Wei, Jin and Tang dynasties are basically gone now. Judging from the sporadic data quoted in other existing works and the materials reorganized by later generations, we can still understand some basic information. The content of the genealogy from the Wei, Jin to Tang dynasties It roughly includes: prestige, origin, and family lineage. Of course, the first thing to write is the name. The name includes characters and numbers, and also includes nicknames, synonyms, and aliases. On the spectrum), the year of birth and death and the special cause of death (when and why she was killed, etc.), marital status (names and ranks of wives and concubines, family status of in-laws, divorce and divorce), status of brothers, sisters and children as officials and marriages, Writings, residence, migration, family branches, tombs, etc., among which are recorded in detail such as location, family background, official rank, marriage of oneself, brothers and sisters, and children.

After the Song Dynasty, the genealogy basically ceased to play a role in political life, and the role of the genealogy shifted to respecting the ancestors, respecting the clan, and amicing the family. Therefore, the content of the genealogy also changed.There are very few genealogies in the Song and Yuan dynasties, and more genealogies in the Ming Dynasty are now preserved. After the Song Dynasty, the genealogy of the Song Dynasty basically removed the content about the Yue family, and shifted the focus of the records to the ancestors, lineage, grace, ancestral hall, and residence. , property, tombs, especially descendants and content related to bloodlines are recorded in detail.After the Song Dynasty, the content of the genealogy usually includes: ⑴The origin of the family name: Generally, it must be traced back to the ancestor of the family, and most of them are entrusted to emperors and celebrities, and the family lineage is listed in the form of a genealogy. ⑵ Enrong: Record the family's ancestors, such as imperial examinations, officials, and government awards. Even if you have not been an official, you must write a scholar. There is really nothing to write about. If you live older, you should write senior life , Shou Fu and other words, and strive to make their family lintel shine. ⑶ For every person who entered the genealogy, especially the important figures in the family, there is generally a biography, which records in detail his name, posthumous title, marriage, life and death experience, year of enrolling in the genealogy, wives and concubines, and filial piety, especially for heirs. Seriously, strictly control the entry criteria, and be particularly cautious about situations such as adopted sons, illegitimate children, daughters, young children who died under the age of 11, and matrilineal marriages, so as to prevent "fake clans" and "disordered clans" and ensure the purity of bloodlines . ⑷The ancestral house is the place where the ancestors lived and lived, the ancestral hall is the place to worship the ancestors, and the ancestral tomb is the place where the ancestors are buried. Respecting the ancestors is of great significance for uniting the tribe.Therefore, there are also detailed records of temple regulations, temple records, temple properties, righteous villages, righteous fields, family rituals, family instructions, and topographic maps of ancestral tombs and ancestral houses.The last is family biography, which generally includes biographical materials such as epitaphs, career records, life prefaces, chronicles, and like praises of prestigious ancestors. Some genealogies also have a special section on writings or arts and literature at the end, which contains writings, poems, and essays of family ancestors. Wait.

The genealogy in ancient China, because of different times and different functions, therefore, the content of the records is not exactly the same. Generally speaking, the later the content is more, the more detailed the records are in the later period. Correspondingly, the format of the genealogy It's not the same in different eras. The oracle bone and bronze genealogies of the Shang and Zhou dynasties only record the lineage, and the format is one line per person, which is relatively simple to explain the relationship.There are roughly three types of genealogy formats in the Han Dynasty. One is the horizontal table system, which is divided into generations and grids, and is arranged in chronological order. The relevant tables in "Historical Records" are its representatives; The third is consistent writing, and the two inscriptions "Sun Shuao Stele" and "Zhao Kuan Stele" handed down from the Han Dynasty are representative of it.The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were written in separate lines, or in consecutive lines, with each generation having a blank space with the previous generation. This can be seen from the extant epitaph of Xue Xiaotong Yihou of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the epitaph of Li Yuanhua, the concubine of Yuanxie, the king of Pengcheng, and the epitaph of Liu Xi, Marquis of Linli in the Liu Song Dynasty. The most striking thing is that the last two epitaphs not only record their own family lineage, but also describe in detail the genealogical records of their relatives. This is incredible in later generations, but it was commonplace in the Southern and Northern Dynasties.Most of the genealogies of the Tang Dynasty are combined genealogies, which are usually arranged and written consecutively in units of surnames.After the Song Dynasty, it began to divide into generations and divisions.Most of the genealogies in the Ming and Qing Dynasties are based on this method. The general list of genealogy is listed at the beginning of the volume for inspection, and then half a page for each person, arranged according to generation.

The family tree was compiled, and its structure was basically finalized in the Ming and Qing dynasties.During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the format of the family tree is roughly arranged as follows: 1. Genealogy Preface: There is a difference between self-preface and other prefaces. Its content is to describe the origin of compilation, the history, process and content of this spectrum, as well as the date of revision, etc. The function is to publicize the purpose of this spectrum and praise the virtues of ancestors. So that children and grandchildren can respect their ancestors and do good when they read it.If this spectrum is a continuation, then, in addition to the newly written preface, the old prefaces of previous revisions of the spectrum are also included.Sometimes, in order to enhance the prestige of the family, contemporary celebrities are also specially invited to write prefaces, and the prefaces made by past celebrities for the genealogy are also arranged and recorded in chronological order.Spectrum sequence is also called "yin", "pushuo", "puming" and "pukuou" in some genealogies.

2. Inscription: Not every genealogy has it. Most of them are the inscriptions of the previous emperors or celebrities for the family or genealogy, which are placed in a prominent position for the purpose of showing off the family background. 3. Enrong: Concentrate on recording the praises of the emperors of the past dynasties to the family or certain members, including famous edicts, edicts, imperial inscriptions, etc., and some also include various plaques inscribed by the emperor or local officials for the family.The purpose is to show the ancestor's virtue by emphasizing the king's kindness.

4. General cases: also known as spectrum cases, which mainly introduce the writing style of this spectrum, the scope of collection, structural features, various description rules, the reasons for establishing categories for each purpose in this spectrum, the scope of application, and various types that can be included in the spectrum. Criteria for identifying characters, as well as writing requirements such as how to avoid taboos. 5. Pictures: Most of the frontispieces of family trees in the Ming and Qing Dynasties have pictures, and the contents are not exactly the same. Generally, there are pictures of ancestral temples, ancestral tombs, ancestral halls, pastures, water sources or houses.

6. Filial piety: From the Song Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, special emphasis was placed on filial piety. It is the honor of the whole family to have a filial wife and filial son in a family. Therefore, many genealogies have a chapter on filial piety in the first volume. 7. Xiangzan, draws the appearance of the prominent people among the ancestors of the family, and puts them at the front of the volume, in order to achieve the purpose of increasing the family's reputation and edifying future generations, and some of them also publish some left inks of the ancestors. 8. Test: Test if in doubt.A family has existed for hundreds or thousands of years, so there are naturally some things that are not clear, but they must be written when compiling the score, so we have to do research.Usually, textual research is required, which generally includes the following contents: the origin of the surname, the migration process and reasons, certain lineages, official records, family names of ancestors, temples, ancestral tombs, etc. pinch.

9. Genealogy: Also known as the family table, lineage table, lineage map, and root map, it reflects the blood relationship of family members in the form of a chart. This is the main content of the family tree, usually five generations as one table. 10. Genealogy: There are also genealogy for the order of the world, the examination of the lineage, the biography, the practice, and the record.It is an explanation of the genealogy table, which records a resume of life, old age, illness, death, and burial. , burial place, burial direction, date of birth and death of wives and concubines, imperial edict, Yue family, children, married woman, whether there are wealthy grandchildren, etc., especially birth and death, blood lineage.

11. Pai language: Also known as character generation, it is the ranking word for recording clansmen.In the feudal era, family rankings had certain meanings, most of them were determined by emperors, celebrities, and ancestors.For example, the descendants of Confucius ranked words: Xi, Bo, Gong, Yan, Cheng, Hong, Wen, Zhen, Shang, Yan, Xing, Yu, Chuan, Ji, Guang, Zhao, Xian, Qing, Fan, Xiang, Ling, De, Wei, Chui, You, Qin, Shao, Nian, Xian, and Yang were bestowed by the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the Meng, Zeng, and Yan families also followed them.The character generation was originally patented by the Han people, and it was also used by the Manchus after the Qing Dynasty. For example, the royal family in the Qing Dynasty originally had no character generation, and the Kangxi Dynasty began to determine the character generation. The first character of the name of the emperor's grandson is "Hong", and the second character is next to "日". In the three dynasties of Qianlong, Daoguang and Xianfeng, four characters were added respectively to form "Yin, Hong, Yong, Mian, Yi, Zai, Pu, Yu". , Heng, Qi, Tao, Kai, Zeng, Qi" 14 generations of characters.

12. Biography: It is a bit similar to the genealogy record, the difference is that every male member of the family has a genealogy record, while the biography category is for those who have fame and talent, special deeds, great achievements, and fame in the family. Can be passed on.Biography can be further divided into internal biography and external biography. The internal biography is the biography of a woman who has Yixing, while the external biography is the biography of a man, which can be written by the descendants themselves or by contemporary celebrities. 13. Ancestral rules and family precepts: can be simply called family rules, ancestral rules, family rules, family precepts, family admonitions, and regulations, which are equivalent to family laws and regulations. law-abiding etc.Part of it is the statute, which the tribe must abide by, and if there is any violation, it will be punished by family law.Others are precepts, which are mainly exhortations, teaching people the principles of life, and this part is usually called family education.There are also temple regulations, also known as family rituals, which are family sacrificial etiquette, such as the composition of ancestral temples and ancestral halls, sacrificial rules, procedures, wedding and funeral ceremonies, and so on.This part is the concentrated expression of feudal ethics and morals in the genealogy.

14. Ancestral halls, ancestral properties, and tombs: record the history and current situation, regulations, gods, and generations of family ancestral halls, as well as the management of ancestral properties, righteous villages, righteous fields, and sacrificial fields, as well as the distribution and location of ancestral tombs and cemeteries. to wait. 15. Ancestral research: mainly to describe family history, such as the beginning and end of the surname, ancestors, tribes, migration, and distribution.Especially the migration and settlement history of this branch, the history of each branch's emigration, and the textual research of some people with the same surname and clan. 16. Records: Another important content in the genealogy, mostly the collection of special materials in the family, such as family name, filial piety, officials, lineage, life, talent, feudal gifts, schools within the family, academic property , ancestral houses, ancestral tombs, distribution of ancestral properties, etc.This is the family tree of the Ming and Qing Dynasties based on the "zhi" in the history books, that is, a special history. 17. Miscellaneous Notes: Those not included or omitted in other categories are described here. Most of them are some special materials of the family, such as male and female seniors, disputes, land, cemetery contracts, contracts, contracts, litigation documents, etc., scope Very broad and complex. 18. Documents: also known as writings, art and literature, and Wenyuan, which contain the writings of the ancestors of the family, including various family rules, family instructions, family models, epitaphs, records, poems, essays, posts, bamboo slips, memorials Wait.Some are all collected, and some are only listed in the catalogue. 19. The surname of the revised genealogy: generally includes two contents, one is the name of the lead editor, and the other is the name of the person who donated funds, both of which are listed at the end of the genealogy. 20. Wufu map: Wufu is an important basis for feudal family laws and regulations. Many family trees are attached with a map of the five clothes. 21. Yu Qinglu: After the family tree is completed, a few blank pages are left at the end as usual, and the letter "Yu Qinglu" is written, which means that the descendants will continue and Yuqing will be left. 22. The number of the family tree: In order to prevent the family tree from spreading, there is generally a serial number behind the family tree, and then registered, a certain person receives a certain number, and regular spot checks. In addition, in some genealogies, there are some special contents, for example, some genealogies set up special genealogies, which contain the lineages of adopted sons and adoptive sons with different surnames adopted by each branch of the clan.Some genealogies contain chronological information of important persons in the family and so on.Behind some modern genealogies, some also have some statistical charts, such as population and so on. The various formats of the family tree mentioned above are not fully available for every family tree. Due to differences in time, region, and family, the degree of detail of the completed family tree will not be exactly the same. Not all are exactly the same, but generally speaking, they are basically arranged in the above order.