On the Exploration of the Wedding Time in the Zhou Dynasty

As for the wedding time in the Zhou Dynasty,autumn and winter are considered opportune in Mao's interpretation of Book of Songs.However,in Zhang Xuan's interpretation of Book of Songs and Official Rank System,February(lunar calendar) in the middle of spring should be considered opportune.Through analysis of such literature as Book of Songs,Spring and Autumn,Zuozhuan,we can find that the wedding time for the social classes above that of daifu,an official rank,in the Zhou Dynasty can be determined between the middle of autumn and the middle of spring in the lunar calendar,while the wedding time for the common people can be determined around the middle of spring in the lunar calendar.If we direct Zheng Xuan's interpretation and what is referred to in Mao's interpretation of Book of Songs to different social strata,the two perspectives turn out to be valid,which consequently gives a correct explanation for wedding oriented poetry in Book of Song,and which deepens our understanding of the official rank system in the Zhou Dynasty.