Theory of the Zhou Dynasty People's ages

According to the Confucian documents, the Zhou Dynasty People bear in their heart the convention of “Men should marry once they are 30, while women should marry once they are 20”. Scholar understand this convention with their own views, so that there has always been disputes concerning the marriage Ages of the Zhou Dynasty People. Chinese classic theory expert in Han Dynasty Zheng Xuan and Ban Gu hold a representative viewpoint that the Zhou Dynasty men cannot marry until they are 30 while women cannot marry until they are 20. They think this complies with the lunar and solar principle and the inter-inheriting of the sky and the earth. In contrast, historian of Tang Dynasty Du You considers the old saying of "Men should marry once they are 30, while women should marry once they are 20" is merely applied to the public, while the aristocrats are not restricted by it. This article comprehensively and systematically analyzes the saying and points out the blemishes of the above mentions opinions. In addition, employing the records of classic works, laws and statutes of various dynasties, archaeological discoveries and literature documents, this article confirms that the old saying "Men should marry once they are 30, while women should marry once they are 20" refers to the marriage age at the latest of the Zhou Dynasty People, while the marriage age at the earliest of the Zhou Dynasty People is roughly the same with that of Han and Tang Dynasty People, namely, around 20 for men and 15 for women. This accord with the natural attributes of human being, while the marriage age of the public might be more liberal and flexible than that of the aristocrats.