自杀是主体主动结束自己生命的行为，既是对生活价值思考的结果，也 是一种应对生活环境的策略。明代女性处于社会变迁与性别结构压力之中， 研究她们的自杀行为，可以进一步探索明代女性的主观世界，深入理解自杀 者所处的复杂历史情境。文章首先从儒家性别体系的延续和发展、女性的社 会经济地位方面论述明代女性所处的生存空间的局限与突破。其次，以不同 阶层为线索，讨论士庶家庭中女性自杀的原因和目的，分析自杀女性的社会 角色和所面临的境遇，展现她们的内心世界和历史社会景观。最后，从性别 的维度讨论自杀女性群体和社会展现出的共同性别意识。自杀女性的身体形 象和行为是她们自我表达的方式，士人对自杀女性的书写促成了女性忠贞与 男性忠义的互动，在这个过程中，虽然有一些具有崇高人格的女性被铭记， 但实际上，更多女性的生存空间被不断压缩，生命故事变得更加单调。

Suicide is the act of the subject voluntarily ending their own life, which is not only the result of contemplating the value of life, but also a strategy to cope with the living environment. Women in the Ming Dynasty were under social transformation and gender structural pressure. Studying their suicide behavior can help us further explore the subjective world of women in this time and gain a deeper understanding of the complex historical context. Firstly, this paper discusses the limitations and breakthroughs of women’s living space in the Ming Dynasty from the perspective of the continuation and development of the Confucian gender system and the social status and economic status of women. Secondly, using different social classes as clues, this paper discusses the reasons and purposes of female suicide in scholar and commoner families, analyzes the social roles and situations faced by suicidal women, and showcases their inner world and historical social landscape. Finally, this paper researches the common gender consciousness exhibited by the group of suicidal women and society from a gender perspective. The physical image and behavior of suicidal women are their way of self-expression. The writings of scholars on suicidal women have facilitated the interaction between female chastity and male loyalty. In this process, although some women with noble personalities were remembered, in reality, more women's living space was constantly compressed, and their life stories became more monotonous.