Introduction

Ideographically, å©š (pinyin: hÅ«n) is identical to æ˜ (pinyin: hÅ«n, literally meaning “evening” or “dusk”). In more ancient writings, though the former has the radical 女 (pinyin: nÇ”, which literally means “a female”). This implies that courting couples met in the evening. Similarly, 姻 (pinyin: yÄ«n) is the same as å› (pinyin: yÄ«n). According to Zhang Yi’s (å¼µæ–) Guangya Shigu (廣雅•釋è©), a dictionary of ancient Chinese characters, å› (pinyin: yÄ«n) means “friendliness”, “love” and “harmony”, indicating that correct way of living for a married couple.