傳統中國的家庭人際關係複雜,就母職而言,有著嫡(主母)、繼(繼母)、慈(撫育)、養(養母)之分;就子女而言,又有嫡、庶、男、女之別。母子關係最自然的界定,是以「所生」作為標的;然而,繼母與前妻子之間卻無生身關係,僅是因繼母配父而成就母子名分。傳統禮法試圖透過教化手段將毫無血緣關係的繼母子建立聯繫,希望繼母如母,也期待繼子能如子般地孝順。這種純屬男性觀點下的理想,在實際運作中卻面臨挑戰,制度與情感的矛盾在繼母子身上尤為明顯。本文即從王婉與韋承慶的家庭個案切入,分析唐代禮法規範與社會風氣交錯下的繼母子關係。

In a traditional Chinese family, interpersonal relationships can be quite intricate. A natural mother-son relationship is established when a mother gives birth to a son, but this relationship is absent in the experience of a stepmother. The traditional Chinese etiquette attempts to foster a connection between a stepmother and a son. The norms also expect the stepmother to act the role as the birth mother, and the stepson to be as obedient as he can be. However, this patriarchal ideal is challenged in real-world situations as the conflict between the system and people’s emotions is specifically observed in the stepmother-son relationship. This study examines the case of Wan Wang and Cheng-Qing Wei to illustrate the stepmother-son relationship under the influence of etiquette and social norms of the Tang dynasty.

繼母子；繼親；繼室；再娶；均養

stepmother and son; stepfamily; second wife; remarriage; distribution of equal rights to all sons