The Three Books, Six Rites, Three Media, and Six Hires are all traditional wedding rituals in ancient China. The three books refer to the documents used during the marriage process, including the letter of appointment, the letter of gift, and the letter of welcome; The Six Rites refer to the six types of etiquette that occur during the process from discussing marriage to its completion, namely accepting gifts, asking for names, offering blessings, offering invitations, and welcoming in person; Three matchmakers refer to the three matchmakers required for marriage, including the matchmaker hired by the man, the matchmaker hired by the woman, and the intermediary matchmaker who connects the two parties; The meaning of 'six appointments' and' six rituals' is the same.
Three Books and Six Rites
1. Three books
(1) Letter of Appointment
A marriage proposal letter, also known as an engagement letter, is used by a man when proposing to a woman. The woman accepted the letter of appointment, indicating her agreement to propose, and both parties are about to become husband and wife.
(2) Welcome Book
The document used to welcome the bride on the day of the wedding, which is a promise to the bride and her parents, and has the same meaning as the current marriage certificate.
(3) Book of Rites
The document used during the grand ceremony refers to the list of wedding gifts. The longer the gift letter, the more prosperous the bride's marriage will be, and it also means that both parties have high family status and financial resources.
2. Six Rites
(1) Na Cai
Equivalent to modern marriage proposal. If the man wants to marry the woman, he needs to invite a matchmaker to the woman's house to propose marriage and send a gift to the woman's house to show sincerity.
(2) Ask Name
After the bride's parents accept the proposal, the matchmaker will bring the girl's birth date and eight characters back to the groom's house for future fortune telling.
(3) Najib
The man will have someone calculate the birthdates and eight characters of the two individuals to see if they are in conflict with each other. If not, the man will start preparing the relevant gifts and matters for the wedding.
(4) Na Zheng
Refers to the man sending a dowry to the woman's home. The betrothal gift for the groom is composed of monetary gifts and other items, depending on the groom's financial situation.
(5) Please wait
The male family chooses an auspicious date for marriage and seeks the consent of the female family. If there are no objections, the wedding date is officially set.
(6) Welcome personally
On the day of the wedding, the groom must bring a welcoming letter, along with a matchmaker, relatives, and friends, to the bride's home to show respect and sincerity towards her The most comprehensive and detailed list arrangement for the marriage process
Three media and six recruitment
1. Three media
(1) The matchmaker hired by the groom
The man wants to marry the woman and needs to send a matchmaker to the woman's house to propose marriage by giving gifts.
(2) Matchmaker hired by the female party
In ancient times, women were not allowed to meet their husbands before marriage and would hire matchmakers to discuss relevant matters with their husbands' matchmakers.
(3) The intermediary who acts as a matchmaker for both parties
Generally, it is a matchmaker who introduces both parties to each other, and can also be a witness at the wedding venue.
2. Six hired
The meaning of "Six Hires" is the same as that of "Six Rites", referring to the six rituals of accepting gifts, asking for names, offering blessings, offering rewards, and welcoming relatives.
Recommended reading: Three Books, Six Rites, Ten Miles, Red Makeup, Phoenix Crown, Xia Chang, Eight Lifting of the Great Sedan, Mingmatchmaker, and Marriage Poem