“社会结构”是社会科学研究中使用非常广泛且极为混乱的一个概念。如果从“结构”的词源学角度来分析“社会结构”,从中可以发现它实际上可以看作是社会体系各组成部分或诸要素之间的比较持久、稳定的相互联系模式,并在形态上具有宏观、中观和微观三个不同层次的要素。宏观社会结构要素主要包括人与自然,中观社会结构是人们在不同活动领域中形成的各种关系结构,而微观社会结构是指人们在社会生产中形成的具体社会关系,三个层次的不同要素正是在横向协调和纵向有序的分布中彰显出了社会结构和谐运行的魅力。
"Social structure", which is a very complicated concept, has been widely used in social science researches. Actually, if we analyze the phrase " social structure" on the basis of the word "structure" from the perspective of etymology, it can be seen as a lasting and stable pattern that consists of various parts or components of social system with interrelation. Meanwhile, elements of " social structure" can be separated into macro, medium and micro level in the form. The macro social structure elements manly include human being and nature. The medium social structure can be regarded as all kinds of relation structure which are formed in different areas of human activity. Then the micro social structure means all specific social relations which are formed in the process of social production. Elements in three distinct levels manifest the fascination of the harmonious social structure operation explicitly from the perspective of transverse and longitudinal distribution.