| | 昏義: |
昬禮者，將合二姓之好，上以事宗廟而下以繼後世也。故君子重之，男女有别，而後夫婦有義，夫婦有義，而後父子有親，父子有親，而後君臣有正。故曰：婚禮者，禮之本也。夫禮始於冠，本於婚，重於喪祭，尊於朝聘，和於鄕射，此禮之大體也。 |
| | The wedding ceremony is meant to unite two families in harmony; above, it serves the ancestral temple, and below, it ensures descendants for future generations. Therefore, the gentleman values it highly: when men and women maintain distinctions, then husband and wife have proper relationships; when husband and wife have proper relationships, then father and son show affection; when father and son show affection, then ruler and minister uphold righteousness. Hence it is said: the wedding ceremony is the foundation of rites. Rites begin with the capping ceremony, are rooted in marriage, emphasized in funerals and sacrifices, honored in court audiences and diplomatic visits, and harmonized in local archery gatherings—this is the general framework of rites.
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| | 昏義: |
古者，天子后立六宮，三夫人，九嬪，二十七世婦，八十一御女，以聽天下之內治，以明章婦順，故天下內和而家理也。天子立六官，三公，九卿，二十七大夫，八十一元士，以聽天下之外治，以明章天下之男教，故外和而國治也。故曰：天子聽男教，后聽女順，天子理陽道，后治陰德，天子聽外治，后聽內治，教順成俗，外內和順，國家理治，此之謂盛德也。 |
| | In ancient times, the Son of Heaven had six palaces for his empresses, three consorts ranked as fu ren (夫人), nine concubines ranked as pin (嬪), twenty-seven women in charge of ancestral rites and rituals (shi fu), and eighty-one attendants (yu nü), to manage internal affairs throughout the realm and to exemplify proper feminine conduct. Thus, harmony prevailed within families across the land, and household matters were well governed. The Son of Heaven established six high offices, three grand ministers (gong), nine senior officials (qing), twenty-seven senior and junior officials (da fu), and eighty-one scholar-officials (yuan shi) to manage external governance throughout the realm, thereby clarifying and promoting proper conduct for men. Thus, harmony was achieved externally, and the state was well governed. Hence it is said: the Son of Heaven oversees male conduct, while the empress oversees feminine virtue; the Son of Heaven manages yang affairs, while the empress governs yin virtues; the Son of Heaven attends to external governance, while the empress manages internal household matters. When education and proper conduct become customary, when external and internal affairs are harmonious and orderly, then the state is well governed—this is called great virtue.
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| | 昏義: |
是故男教不修，陽事不得，讁見于天，日為之食，婦順不修，陰事不得，讁見於天，月為之食，是故日食，則天子素服而修六官之職，蕩天下之陽事，月食，則后素服而修六宮之職，蕩天下之陰事，故天子之與后，猶日之與月，陰之與陽，相須而後成者也。讁之言責也。蕩，蕩滌，去穢惡也。 |
| | Therefore, if male conduct is not properly cultivated and yang affairs are neglected, Heaven will manifest punishment—this appears as a solar eclipse. If feminine virtue is not properly maintained and yin matters are neglected, Heaven also manifests punishment—this appears as a lunar eclipse. Thus, when there is a solar eclipse, the Son of Heaven wears plain white robes and reviews the duties of his six high officials to rectify yang affairs throughout the realm; when there is a lunar eclipse, the empress wears plain white robes and examines the responsibilities of her six palaces to correct yin matters across the land. Hence, the Son of Heaven and the empress are like the sun and moon, or yin and yang—mutually dependent in order to achieve harmony. "Zhe" means blame or censure. "Dang" means to purify and cleanse, removing filth and evil.
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