Analysis on Methods And Category of Taboo
In Archaic Times
Abstract: Taboo is a kind of cultural phenomena in China, which has a long history. In archaic times of China, taboo is a familiar phenomenon that both existed in people’s every day life and in the literatures. There are differences between special taboos and general taboos. General taboos include circumstances that people taboo because they respect something, be afraid of something of dislike something. For contrast, special taboos only stand for the respecting taboos. Respecting taboos is that archaic people avoid to say the name of the elders’ or avoid using the words and the sound of words that existing in the elders’ names because of the norm of feudalism etiquette or showing respect to someone. Before the Revolution of 1911, taboo phenomena existed in almost every dynasty of the Chinese feudalism history. The strictness of taboo differed in different dynasties, it was especially strict in Tang and Song dynasties. A number of taboo examples taken from the literatures are dynasties of feudalism society in the past. Based on these analysis, the author tries to ascertain the methods people used to taboo and the category of circumstances when archaic people tabooed. A new inspect is conducted to the taboo history of Chinese and the principles and the characteristics of taboos was summerised in the paper.