Until recently, our understanding of Ming eunuchs was mostly centered on their involvement in political affairs. This article draws attention to the social history of Ming eunuchs, with a particular focus on their contribution to their natal families. Despite the fact of being castrated, Ming eunuchs generally maintained close relationships with their natal kinsmen. Once they obtained political power and material wealth at court, some eunuchs employed an array of strategies to build up kinship organization among their relatives, including regulation of naming patterns, establishment of corporate land, compilation of genealogies, bestowal of protection privilege, and the practice of adoption. In the end, these eunuchs took up a powerful position — similar to that of patriarch — within the domestic area. This article therefore sheds light both on the social history of eunuchs and on the expansion of kinship organization in late imperial Chinese society.

中文翻译：

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阉割与联结：明太监之间的亲属组织

直到最近，我们对明太监的理解，主要集中在他们参与政治事务上。这篇文章提请注意明太监的社会历史，特别关注他们对本族家庭的贡献。尽管被阉割，但明代宦官通常与他们的本族亲属保持着密切的关系。有的宦官在朝廷获得政权和物质财富后，便采取一系列的策略来建立亲属之间的亲属关系，包括规范命名方式、设立法人土地、编纂家谱、授予保护特权等。收养的。最终，这些太监在国内占据了一个类似于族长的强大地位。