夫婦有別의 意味에 대한 硏究

Abstract

The moral virtue Fū Fù Yǒu Bié is premised on the moral virtue Nán Nǔ Yǒu Bié(男女有別)́. The moral virtue Nán Nǔ Yǒu Bié means that man and women should keep a distance from each other in order to prevent illicit connection. The moral virtue Fū Fù Yǒu Bié means that husband and wife should keep a distance from each other in order to treat each other with due respect. In modern society, due to the high tendency of sexual liberation and prevailing evasion of responsibility, mail or female, married or unmarried start relationship more easily. This kind of easy and liberal relationship causes an equivalent easy breaking up, forming a vicious cycle of heatless relationship. As a result, it becomes harder to have a stable family in which both man and woman are responsile for and dependent on each other. Among young people, there is a strong tendency to evade marriage, trying not to have many children, even no children at all. This naturally results in low birth rate and we are losing the most important social value, that of a family, the basic social unit. To solve this kind of relationship problem, single men and women should be prudent about their relationship and unity with due respect. Likewise married people should be polite to their spouse, respecting each other. The most practical principle of husband-wife relationship should come from the ethic that they are loyal to each other. The same rule should apply to single men and women. The original virtue of Fū Fù Yǒu Bié that husband should contribute to the welfare of society outside home, while wife should manage things inside home is also useful in modern family and society. However, in modern society both men and women work outside home, where they should play different roles and realm according to their personality and preference above all with respect and cooperation. In fact, as one of the main Confucian moral disciplines Sān Gāng Wǔ Lún(三綱五倫), Fū Fù Yǒu Bié should be practiced based on the absolute love of self-sacrifice which has been taught through the phrase of Wèilínggōng Lúnyǔ - saying "Achieve love through your sacrifice.(殺身成仁.)" Without that kind of love and respect, it is impossible to treat each other with due respect full heartedly. In short, the ethical virtue of Nán Nǔ Yǒu Bié and Fū Fù Yǒu Bié has the universal virtuous value which can be used to solve the relational problems between man and woman or husband and wife.