While the freedom to marry for love had become socially acceptable, divorce was not. As in marriage, couples had to get the permission of authorities before they could divorce.
1980年，北京作家遇罗锦声明自己和丈夫之间感情破裂，遂诉请离婚。但在当时的《婚姻法》中“感情破裂”尚无法律依据。“感情破裂”这一术语如此陌生，以至于遇罗锦的申诉引发了社会民众对于离婚原因的广泛争论。
In 1980, Yu Luojin, a writer in Beijing, filed for divorce, claiming she was no longer compatible with her husband. But, incompatibility was not legal grounds for divorce under the existing Marriage Law. The term incompatibility was so foreign that Yu's appeal triggered a social controversy about the reasons for divorce.
遇罗锦离婚案说明，已有30年历史的《婚姻法》无法满足当今社会形态的需求。
With Yu Luojin's case, the 30-year-old Marriage Law no longer met the needs of the contemporary social landscape.
1980年，《婚姻法》进行了首次修订后颁布。“感情破裂”这一术语被写入了新的《婚姻法》条例中。
In 1980, the first amendment to the Marriage Law was issued. Incompatibility was written into the articles of the new Marriage Law.
陈明霞(音译)表示：“那时人们意识到结婚是为了爱。他们逐渐摒弃了之前‘传宗接代’的两性观念。他们开始将性视为表达爱与情感、追求身心快乐的一种方式。”
"People realized that love could be the reason for a marriage. They gradually gave up the old idea of sex as reserved for having children. They began to see sex as a way of expressing love and affection, and for the pleasure of body and soul," says Chen Mingxia.
爱意、感情以及快乐成为许多人衡量婚姻好坏的标准。
Love, affection and enjoyment became the standard by which many people judged the quality of their marriage.
后来，西方“性解放”对婚姻的稳定性造成了威胁。在上世纪90年代，一些旧习俗再次死灰复燃。
