What does it mean to be like a wife in the Republic of China?

It refers to concubine.

The original meaning is to be treated like a wife, and then called someone else's concubine. For example, although Madam is equivalent to concubine, the title is obviously more respectful, and the suffix is ??Madam.

In ancient times, people with some status and status could take concubines called Mrs. Ru. Husbands, outsiders, and maids could all call concubines "Mrs. Ru". Mrs. Ru also had a certain status. , different from the concubines of ordinary people's families.

Extended information:

During the Republic of China, it was also common for warlords and bureaucrats to keep concubines. The warlord Zhang Zongchang was known as the "Three Ignorants" general, that is, he didn't know how many soldiers he had, he didn't know how much money he had, and he didn't know how many concubines he had. Of course, someone later helped him count: he had at least twenty-three concubines.

Another bureaucrat known for his polygamy, Yang Sen, a three-star general of the Kuomintang, had twelve public wives and concubines and 43 children. Yang Sen himself stipulated that each wife should take turns staying at his house for three nights.

If a concubine becomes pregnant, she will be given 5,000 yuan as living expenses, and for every child she gives birth to, 20,000 yuan will be deposited in a foreign bank. He used the same method as a soldier to control the women. If there was any violation, he would beat and scold them at will. Sometimes he even ordered all the concubines to kneel on the ground and beat them "all over the house".

He also created a "theory" for his behavior, saying: "I am a person who loves to move forward, and I also want to find a partner who loves to move forward.

So , As the times advance, some of my friends have small feet, some have semi-large feet, and some have large feet; in terms of cultural level, some are illiterate, some are primary school students, middle school students, and college students. In this way, as the times advance, I advance, and I advance. Their partners also moved forward."

In addition to warlords and bureaucrats, some wealthy businessmen also kept concubines. Polygamy was prevalent in Guangdong at that time, and the number of wives and concubines was often used to measure a person's wealth and stinginess. Therefore, some people often took concubines as a way to maintain their appearance.

A certain rich man's family had 108 pepper trees, and his annual income was so high that he married 108 concubines, each of whom received the profits from one tree for food, clothing, and clothing. As for the number of people who have three wives and four concubines, many people believe that this is the only way to maintain the dignity of a middle-class family.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Mrs. Ru

Hexun.com - Men in the Republic of China used "Mrs. Ru" to show their appearance when socializing