The difference between aristocratic families and noble families in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties

1. Different origins.

1. Family was used earlier in the Han Dynasty, especially in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The first period of the Eastern Han Dynasty was a fertile ground for the formation of aristocratic families. Heroes and relatives held many important official positions. After powerful men and women got their hands on the political power, they changed their families and became aristocratic families.

2. The gentry first appeared in the official decrees of the Western Jin Dynasty. During the Western Jin Dynasty, aristocratic and powerful clans evolved into gentry clans following some institutional changes.

The famous aristocratic families in Chinese history include the six surnames of the Jin Dynasty during the Spring and Autumn Period: Zhao, Han, Wei, Zhi, Fan, and Zhongxing; and the five surnames and seven looks of the Sui and Tang Dynasties: Longxi Li family, Zhaojun Li family, Boling Cui family, Qinghe Cui family, Fanyang Lu family, Xingyang Zheng family, Taiyuan Wang family.

Extended information:

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, a special class composed of some families that enjoyed political and economic privileges among the landlord class was the gentry. The continuation of the development of aristocratic families in the Eastern Han Dynasty was the origin of the gentry; the policies of the ruling class in the Wei and Jin Dynasties were the direct cause of the formation of the gentry.

Cao Wei's nine-rank Zhongzheng system stipulates that family rank is the main condition for determining a rank, so that the descendants of dignitaries in the dynasty can have a prosperous official career; Wei and Wu gave their clients to public ministers and officials in the Western Jin Dynasty to occupy Tianyinke according to their official rank, so that dignitaries Acquire vast fields, tenants and slaves.

Therefore, the gentry of the Wei and Jin Dynasties must be dignitaries of the dynasty. Only families that obtained political status in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, especially families that retained political status in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, were eligible to be listed as gentry clan. For example, the Langxie Wang family, Wang Xiang served in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and moved to Taichang, Situ, Taiwei, and Taibao; the Yingchuan Yu family, Yu Yi was the Wei Taipu, and Cong Zijun was the Jin Sikong; the Chen County Xie family, Xie Zuan was the Wei Diannong Zhonglang General, Ziheng offered wine and other sacrifices to the prince of Jin.

The Eastern Jin Dynasty was the heyday of the development of gentry power. The regime of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was established by Sima Rui relying on the planning and support of Wang Dao, Wang Dun and others of the Langxie Wang family. Therefore, it is said that "the king and (Sima) rule the world" ("Book of Jin·Biography of Wang Dun").

Afterwards, the powerful gentry clans such as the Yu family in Yingchuan, the Huan family in Qiaoguo, and the Xie family in Chenjun took turns in power, forming a situation in which Yu and Ma, Huan and Ma, and Xie and Ma dominated the world. At this time, the power of the gentry paralleled or even surpassed the imperial power, and imperial power politics evolved into clan politics.

In order to protect their own interests, the nobles compiled genealogies, prohibited marriages with non-gentlemen from poor families, and refused to associate with poor families.

During the Liu and Song Dynasties in the Southern Dynasties, Di Dang and Zhou Ji, who were both from poor families in Zhongshushe, were in charge of important affairs. Once they went to visit Zhang Fu, a nobleman, and were ordered to move to a distant place and not have any contact with him. The so-called "Zhuoguan" was a minor official among the nobles who did not do any tedious work, in order to show off their noble family status. After the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the boundaries between noble families and poor families were basically solidified, and only a handful of poor families could be promoted to noble families.

The noble clans also differentiated in their development. For example, the Cui family in Qinghe had a higher family status than the Cui family in Boling, and the descendants of the Langxie Wang family also had different family backgrounds. The gentry in the Southern Dynasties gradually declined.

Due to the suppression of imperial power, high-ranking officials were granted but not real power; and due to the increasing corruption of the gentry, the children of the gentry "will be writers (lang) if they don't get off the train, and they will be secretaries (lang) if they are in good health". Because of wealth, one does not want to make progress, indulges in sex, indulges in extravagance and desires, and even "smokes clothes, shaves face, powders powder, and applies Zhu" (Yan Zhitui's "Yan Family Instructions Encouraging Learning").

In the Hou Jing Rebellion, all the nobles of the Southern Dynasties died. In order to consolidate his rule, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty established a strict gentry system. The gentry was divided into four levels according to their official positions, and they enjoyed political and economic privileges according to their levels.

The gentry system was customarily formed in the Wei, Jin and Southern Dynasties, but it was first stipulated by the court in the form of law in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The gentry of the Northern Wei Dynasty also quickly became corrupted and suffered a heavy blow during the Heyin Revolution.

Baidu Encyclopedia_Shizu

Baidu Encyclopedia_Shizu