門戶與中國古代社會
劉增貴
配合這種層次分明空間區劃的，是層次分明的人群分界。家門、閭門、城門代表了家族、閭里、國人三個不同的人群範圍，清楚的反映了公私、尊卑、親疏、華夷等人群關係。以政教言，宮門、官府門是政權軍權的象徵，政令宣示、刑罰示眾、人物旌顯、士人教育，皆行於門，這與門為公共出入之所，為人群所聚集有關。
社會階層的分劃，也顯示於門。「門戶」是家族的同義語，古代貴族稱門，平民稱戶，「門」「戶」之別，劃分了家族地位的高下。這種情況戰國以下雖漸改變，但門大戶小的意義猶存。至於門戶的高卑顏色，也是家族地位高低的象徵，所以「高門大戶」，「朱門」「朱戶」成為上層階級的代稱。
在人倫關係上，門是重要界線，家門尤為關鍵。家門既是家族與社會的分界，也是二者的接觸點。至於內寢門限，是男女內外的分界。就喪禮言，奔喪之望國門、望家門、至家門而哭；哭喪有在寢門、廟門、城門內外之異，都反映了不同的倫理關係。
門作為政權、鄉里、階層、家族、個人的代表，其象徵意味十分濃厚。所以衛滅於狄，遺民另立門戶，春秋伐國，攻戰多燒城門。而古代軾門拜闕之禮，犯門斬關之罰，以及古人對門災的解釋，都顯示門不只是一個建築設施而已，更具有深刻的政治與社會文化意含，與當時的政治社會結構，以及生活禮俗都密切相關。
關鍵詞：門戶 古代社會 空間 家族 象徵系統
Gates and Ancient Chinese Society
Liu Tseng-kuei
Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica
Based on pre-Han literary and archeological evidence, this article examines the political and social significance of the gate in ancient China. The gate, or door, served as a spacial connection, a division between communities, and as a social symbol. The gate was one of the most concrete divisions among what were known in ancient China as the "seven structures" (ch'i-she). The seven structures marked spacial divisions from within the most intimate chamber, to the larger hall in front of it, the courtyard, the gate of the family compound, the alley in front of the house, the nearest large avenue, and finally the surrounding countryside. Within this clearly demarcated, layered universe, in which the "inner" is carefully distinguished from the "outer," each door was at once a barrier and an entry. Hence the door was an important device for both spacial and social control--in short, state policy concerning the opening and closing of gates reflected certain social realities.
Corresponding to these clear demarcations of space, were clear demarcations of social groups. The gates of the home, the village, and the city represented the boundaries among families, communities, and the state. Gates clearly reflected social divisions between public and private, superior and inferior, relative and stranger, Chinese and non-Chinese. Politically, palace gates and the gates of official offices were symbols of military and political power. Official proclamations, administration of punishment and reward, and education of the literati all involved passage through or gathering around gates. These are all related to the gate as a public passage and gathering site.
Divisions of social class are also manifest in gates. "Gate and door" (men-hu) was a synonym for family: the ancient noble family was known as a "Gate", while the family of a commoner was known as a "Door". In this way the distinction between a gate and a door marked the division between those of high and low status. Although this situation gradually changed after the Warring States period, the significance of the superiority of the gate over the door remained. The size and color of the gate was also assigned symbolic significance indicating social status. For this reason, expressions such as "a high, large door", "a vermilion gate", and a "vermilion door" were all used as metaphors for families of high social status.
In the network of human relations, the door was a key marker of boundaries. The gate to the family house marked the division between the family and society, and was at the same time the point at which the two met. Within the home, the door to the inner quarters marked a division between male and female. As a part of funerary rituals, mourners away from home were to weep at the "gate of the state", at the family gate, or on reaching the family gate. During the mourning rituals, distinctions were drawn between weeping within and without the door of the inner chambers, the gate of the temple, and the city gate, reflecting distinctions in social relations.
Variously perceived as an emblem of political power, social class, the village, family, and individual, the gate was rich in symbolic significance. Hence, when the Wei were defeated by the Ti, the survivors quickly erected a new gate, and when attacking a rival state during the Spring and Autumn period, armies usually assaulted and burned the city gate. Further, the ancient custom of "paying respects before gates and bowing before pavilions" (shih-men pai-cheh), the punishment for those who "climbed over closed gates or smashed the bolt of a gate" (fan-men chan-kuan), as well as ancient interpretations of disasters that befell gates, all disclose that, more than a simple architectural device, the gate was invested with profound political, social, and cultural significance, and was closely related to social-political structure as well as the rituals and customs of everyday life.
Keywords: Gates and doors, Ancient society, Space, Family, Symbols