聘礼
释义 DEFINITION
聘礼是中国传统婚俗中的重要环节，主要指男方家庭在订婚时向女方家庭赠送的财物或礼品。根据《礼记》记载，完整的婚礼程序包含纳采、问名、纳吉、纳征、请期、亲迎六个步骤，其中纳征即现代聘礼的前身。
在当代语境中，聘礼呈现三种主要形态：
- 传统仪式型：包含茶叶、糕点、布匹等象征性礼物
- 现代物质型：现金、房产、汽车等贵重财物
- 网络解构型：表情包中戏称的『三斤人民币』等夸张表述
根据中国社会科学院2022年婚俗调研报告，83%的社交媒体讨论聚焦天价彩礼现象，其中江浙地区平均金额达28万元，已成为网络热议焦点。
词源故事 ETYMOLOGY
2021年江西某县城贴出的『彩礼指导价』公告，将聘礼现象推向舆论风口。这份标明『普通职工8.8万，公务员12.8万』的红头文件，在抖音获得230万次播放，评论区形成鲜明对立：
『这是老祖宗传下来的规矩，体现男方诚意』vs『把婚姻变成人口买卖，恶心！』
考其源流，周代《仪礼》明确规定聘礼应为玄纁束帛、俪皮（黑红绸缎和成对鹿皮），到唐代演变为包含大雁、酒曲等三十多样物品。明代小说《金瓶梅》中，西门庆送吴月娘的聘礼包含『锦缎二十匹、赤金头面全套』，已显物质化倾向。
现代争议始于2013年凤凰网《中国式结婚成本》专题，计算出北京平均聘礼达25万元+房产。此后每年春节前后，#因彩礼分手#等话题必上热搜。2023年哔哩哔哩纪录片《天价彩礼背后》揭示：甘肃某村庄因彩礼负债率高达75%，有家庭为此借高利贷。
例句：
- 传统用法：『张家下了二十担谷子作聘礼』
- 现代吐槽：『没房没车还想娶我？聘礼都备不齐！』
- 网络反讽：『建议把比特币加入新时代数字聘礼套餐』
DEFINITION
Bride price (聘礼) is a traditional Chinese marital custom where the groom's family presents gifts to the bride's family during engagement ceremonies. Rooted in Confucian rituals recorded in the Book of Rites, it was originally part of the Six Rites marriage procedure.
Modern interpretations include:
- Symbolic gifts: Tea leaves and traditional pastries representing cultural heritage
- Material requirements : Cash deposits (often called "betrothal gold") and property titles
- Internet memes: Viral jokes about "three kilograms of banknotes" reflecting social anxieties
Notably different from Western dowry systems, China's bride price has sparked nationwide debates since 2018 when Jiangxi province reported cases exceeding $50,000 - equivalent to 5 years' income for rural families.
ETYMOLOGY
The 2021 'Bride Price Guidance' notice in Jiangxi province ignited nationwide controversy by officially capping engagement gifts at 88,000 RMB for civil servants. When this document went viral on Douyin (Chinese TikTok), the 58,000-comment thread revealed stark generational divides:
『Respecting tradition shows a man's commitment』vs『This turns marriage into human trafficking!』
Historically, bride price originated as symbolic animal pelts and silk in Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE) rituals. By Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), classic novel The Plum in the Golden Vase depicted wealthy merchants offering gold hairpins and land deeds - early signs of commercialization.
Modern debates exploded in 2013 when Phoenix Weekly calculated that Beijing's average bride price (250,000 RMB + apartment) exceeded 15 years' salary for graduates. Annual social media trends now include hashtags like #BreakupBecauseOfBridePrice. A 2023 Bilibili documentary exposed rural Gansu families taking usurious loans for 300,000 RMB payments - equivalent to 27 years of saving for local farmers.
Examples:
- Traditional:『The groom's family sent two ceremonial geese as bride price』
- Satirical meme:『Why not accept Bitcoin as metaverse bride price?』
- News headline:『Man jailed for selling kidney to pay bride price』