宦官是刑余之人 ,不能娶妻生子。在中国古代的历史上 ,各个朝代都有宦官养子现象 ,但这种收养之风以唐代最为突出。唐代前期 ,朝廷规定宦官不能养子。但此项规定未能严格执行。到德宗之前 ,上层宦官几乎人人都有养子。鉴于这种情况 ,德宗于贞元七年 ( 791 )下了一道诏敕 ,规定 Eunuchs are torturers, can not marry wives and children. In ancient Chinese history, eunuchs adopted sons in every dynasty, but the style of adoption was the most prominent in the Tang Dynasty. In the early Tang Dynasty, the court decreed that eunuchs should not adopt a son. However, this requirement has not been strictly implemented. Before Dezong, almost all the top eunuchs had adopted children. In view of this situation, Tak Zong ordered an ordination in the seven years (791) of Zhen Yuan