用英語說中國家庭生活 第4期:求婚

The Proposal

求婚

The process began with an elaborate marriage proposal and acceptance.

求婚的過程始於精心設計的求婚和贊同。

This process was placed in the hands of a go-between，who acted as a medium between the two parties - a role similar to that of a real estate agent today.

這個過程由媒人主持，媒人的角色介於雙方的之間，類似於現在的房地產中介。

The important parties in proposal and betrothal negotiations were the parents of the prospective bride and groom，rather than the bride and groom themselves.

在求婚和訂婚的商討環節中起重要角色的是新郎和新娘的父母，而不是新郎新娘他們。

Marriage was for continuing the ancestral line and creating alliances between families-too important a duty to be left in the rash hands of the a explains.

Costa解釋說：“婚姻是爲了延續香火和兩家結爲聯盟-這責任重大到不能輕率地交給年輕人處理。”

When the boy’s parents identified a likely bride-to-be，they would send the go-between to present gifts to the girl’s parents and to sound out their feelings about the match.

當男方的雙親相中了某位閨女，他們會讓媒人給女方父母捎去禮物以及聯姻的想法。

If the proposal was well-received, the go-between would obtain the date and hour of the girl’s birth recorded on a formal document.

如果求婚順利，那麼媒人會將女孩的生辰八字存檔。

The groom’s family would place this document on the ancestral altar for three days.

新郎的家族會將此檔放在祖壇三天。

If no inauspicious omens, e. g. quarrels between the parents or a loss of property, took place within that time, the parents would give the information to a astrological expert to confirm that the young woman and their son would make a good match.

如果沒有什麼不詳的預兆，例如父母不和或財產損失，發生在那個時期，父母會給占星師一個信號來確認女孩和自己的兒子是天作之合。

If the boy’s family found the horoscope to be favorable, they gave the boy’s birth date and hour to the go-be1ween to bring to the girl’s family, who would go through the same process.

如果男孩的家庭相信星象，他們會讓媒人將自己兒子的生辰八字帶給女方家庭，女方家庭也會回覆女方的生辰八字。

Only after both outcomes were favorable, would the two families arrange to meet.

只有當生辰八字相配的時候，雙方家庭纔會互相約見。

Finally face-to-face, each family evaluated the other in terms of appearance, education, character, and social position.

最後的面對面，雙方家庭都會互相考量對方的樣貌，教育水平，性格，以及社會地位。

If both were satisfied they would proceed to the betrothal.

如果雙方滿意就會舉行訂親儀式。