Marriage squeeze refers to the phenemonon that some of the rural men or women cannot find a spouse because of the imbalance between the number of men and women available to marry in a certain society.In rural China,marriage squeeze mainly squeezes the male peasants of marriageable age at three levels:gender squeeze,gradient squeeze,and competition squeeze.Of these levels,the gender squeeze mechanism mainly squeezes rural marriageable men,while rural marriageable women are less squeezed; the gradient squeeze mechanism mainly squeezes marriageable male peasants in naturally and economically backward rural areas,while marriageable male peasants in rural areas with better natural and economical conditions are less squeezed; the competition squeeze mechanism mainly squeezes marriageable men whose families cannot afford the high marriage cost in the internal competition in the low-lying areas of the marriage market,while marriageable men from richer families in these areas are less squeezed.The social consequences of the gender imbalance between marriageable men and women will be ultimately borne by marriageable men from poor families in the low-lying areas of the marriage market,and these men are most likely to become bachelors unable to find a spouse in rural areas.