甥接舅母婚

 甥接舅母婚

● 字源與說明

「甥接舅母婚」不是古籍中的固定名詞,這個題目是依「子繼寡母婚」的體例擬定的。

甥:姊妹之子,即外甥。

舅母:母親兄弟之妻,屬「外親」(母系親屬)。

與烝報的關係:烝、報指的是父系親屬之間的婚姻,如子娶庶母、叔伯與姪輩之間。舅母屬母系外親,不在這兩個字的本義內。

與 levirate 的關係:嚴格的 levirate 是娶亡夫兄弟之妻。外甥並非亡舅的兄弟,所以不算 levirate,只能說性質近似,屬廣義的「遺孀繼承」。

史實提醒:我不確定有可靠的史例明確記載這種婚姻,所以例句是假設性的概括,不指名任何史事。

● 例句(80 字)

Although Confucian ritual codes, which classed maternal relatives as outer kin, have condemned a nephew's marrying his maternal uncle's widow, the clans that tolerated it, namely a nephew's inheriting his late uncle's household, did so not merely because need demanded it, but because they believed that a widow who is kept within the kin network, once linked to the heir by marriage, preserves the alliance that his mother, the sister first given to his father's clan, was expected to uphold.

● 排列為比較容易閱讀的方式

Although Confucian ritual codes,

which classed maternal relatives as outer kin,

have condemned

a nephew's marrying

his maternal uncle's widow,

the clans

that tolerated it,

namely a nephew's inheriting his late uncle's household,

did so

not merely because need demanded it,

but because they believed

that a widow

who is kept within the kin network,

once linked to the heir by marriage,

preserves the alliance

that his mother,

the sister first given to his father's clan,

was expected to uphold.

● 分解為原初的短小句

Confucian ritual codes classed maternal relatives as outer kin.

(which 引導的關係子句;classed A as B 是「把 A 歸為 B」。)

The codes have condemned the marriage.

(現在完成式,表歷來累積的譴責。)

A nephew marries his maternal uncle's widow.

(a nephew's marrying... 中,nephew 是 marrying 的意義主詞。)

Some clans tolerated the marriage.

(it 指這種婚姻;tolerated 是「容許」,語氣比 approved 弱。)

A nephew inherits his late uncle's household.

(namely 帶出的同位語,說明 it 的具體內容;late 指「已故的」。)

Those clans did so.

(did so 代替 tolerated it。)

Need did not merely demand it.

(not merely... but... 的前半,表面原因。)

They believed something.

(主句骨架,後接 that 名詞子句。)

A widow is kept within the kin network.

(who 子句,修飾 widow;被動式,省略施動者。)

The widow is linked to the heir by marriage.

(once linked... 是省略的時間子句,完整為 once she is linked...。)

The widow preserves the alliance.

(that 子句的主詞是 widow,動詞是 preserves。)

The heir has a mother.

(his mother 的 his 指 heir,即那位外甥。)

The mother was the sister first given to his father's clan.

(同位語 the sister... 補充說明母親的身分;given 是過去分詞。)

The mother was expected to uphold the alliance.

(被動:was expected to uphold。)

● 文法解析

1. Although 讓步子句 + 長主詞 + did so

Although 子句講外界評價,主句主詞 the clans 後面還掛著 that 子句和 namely 同位語,要讀到 did so 才看到謂語。

例:Although the rule is strict, the villagers that ignored it, namely the old farmers, did so quietly.(雖然規定嚴格,無視它的村民,即老農們,悄悄地這麼做。)

2. 所有格 + 動名詞

a nephew's marrying 中,nephew's 是 marrying 的意義主詞。同樣,a nephew's inheriting 的意義主詞也是 nephew。

例:Critics disliked the king's ignoring the council.(批評者不喜歡國王無視議會。)

3. namely 同位語

namely a nephew's inheriting... 解釋 tolerated it 的 it,把抽象的「這件事」換成具體內容。

例:They banned the practice, namely selling grain abroad.(他們禁止了這種做法,即把糧食賣到國外。)

4. not merely... but...

because need demanded it 是表面原因,but because they believed 才是真正動機。重點從「需要」轉到「信念」。

例:He left not merely because he was tired, but because he was bored.(他離開不只是因為累,而是因為厭倦。)

5. that 名詞子句 + 層層修飾

believed 後的 that 子句主詞是 a widow,其後 who 子句和 once 子句兩層插入,把它與動詞 preserves 隔開。要確認 preserves 的主詞是 widow,不是 network 或 marriage。

例:I think that a student who studies daily, once she gets used to it, improves quickly.(我認為每天讀書的學生,一旦習慣了,進步很快。)

6. 末端關係子句

the alliance that his mother... was expected to uphold 中,that 是 uphold 的受詞(uphold the alliance)。his mother 是該子句的主詞,其後同位語 the sister first given... 是插入語。

例:The promise that my brother, the one who left early, made was kept.(我哥哥,就是提早離開的那位,所許下的諾言被遵守了。)

7. 時態安排

have condemned(現在完成):講歷來的譴責。

tolerated / demanded / believed / was expected(過去式):敘述那些部族的事。

is kept / preserves(現在式):他們所信奉的通則。

● 參考譯文

雖然把母系親屬歸為外親的儒家禮法,向來譴責外甥娶舅父遺孀;但容許此事的部族(即外甥承繼亡舅的家戶),這麼做並不只是因為現實需要,而是因為他們相信:一位被留在親族網絡之內、又藉婚姻與繼承人相連的遺孀,能保住這份聯盟,而這份聯盟,正是繼承人的母親,那位最初被嫁入其父族的姊妹,所被期待去維繫的。

● 補充說明

漢人與其他社會的觀點對照:

在儒家禮法下,這類婚姻違反倫常,歷代法律也多視為亂倫或姦非。

在重視財產與部眾不外流的社會,遺孀繼承常被視為保住家戶與聯盟的辦法。所以例句的 they believed 是以容許者的視角寫的。

核心字彙:

ritual(禮法的)、maternal(母系的)、outer kin(外親)、condemn(譴責)、tolerate(容許)、widow(遺孀)、heir(繼承人)、household(家戶)、alliance(聯盟)、uphold(維繫)。

提醒:

這類婚姻現已不存,也常因女性缺乏自主而受批評。

例句是假設性概括,寫作時宜用過去式敘述史事,避免寫成現況。

字數驗證:

我逐字計數,全句剛好 80 字(所有格 nephew's ×2、uncle's ×2、father's 各算一字)。

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