the three obediences and the four virtues(sān cóng sì dé)

the three obediences and the four virtues

Three obediences and four virtues are the code of conduct and moral norms used to restrain women in ancient Chinese feudal society. According to the principle of "the difference between inside and outside (that is, the social division of labor between men and women)", the Confucian ethics regulates women's morality, behavior and Cultivation in their whole life. "Three obedience" refers to women's obedience to their father before marriage, husband after marriage and son after death; "four virtues" refers to women's morality, women's speech, women's appearance and women's merit.

Idiom explanation

Three consistencies and four virtues: they are the virtues that women should have from ancient China to the liberation. The three consistencies are to follow (obey) their father before marriage, to follow (assist) their husband after marriage, and to follow (raise) their son when their husband dies. The four virtues refer to women's morality, women's speech, women's appearance, and women's merits (women's morality, words, manners, and women's red). moral standards set for women in ancient times. The criteria for men to choose their wives.

pronunciation

San Cong si de

Idioms and allusions

source

"Rites, mourning clothes, biography of Zixia" says: "women have three obediences, but there is no special way. Therefore, if he does not marry his father, he will marry his husband and his son when he dies. " "Zhou Li · Tian Guan · nine concubines" says: "nine concubines master the method of women's learning, and use nine teachings to control: Women's morality, women's speech, women's appearance and women's skill."

Routine

Married to a prime minister's daughter, he is willing to live a full life, relying on the relatives. (yuan) the fourth fold of the fifth volume of the romance of the Western chamber by Wang Shifu

origin

The word "San cong" was first seen in the Confucian classics of Zhou and Han Dynasties (rites, mourning clothes, biography of Zixia). When discussing the married women's years of mourning for their husbands and fathers (three years for their husbands and one year for their fathers), it was said that "women have the meaning of" San cong ", and there is no" exclusive "way, so they do not marry from their fathers, and they marry from their husbands and their sons when they die.". The word "four virtues" can be seen in the book of rites of Zhou, Tianguan and Neizai. Neizai is an official position to teach women in the harem, who is responsible for teaching women in the harem "Yinli" and "Fuzhi" step by step. Among them, "nine concubines" in higher positions "master the methods of women's learning, so as to teach women's morality, speech, appearance and skills. Originally, it was a category of women's education in the imperial court. Later, it was called "three obediences" and became the standard of women's morality, behavior, ability and cultivation, namely "three obediences and four virtues". the so-called "three obediences" refer to the following: if you are not married, follow your father; if you are married, follow your husband; if you die, follow your son. It means that before getting married, girls should listen to their parents' instructions and don't arbitrarily refute their elders' instructions, because the elders have rich social knowledge and have fundamental guiding significance; after getting married, they should be polite to their husbands, manage their families with their husbands, be filial to their elders and educate their children; if their husbands unfortunately leave first, they should stick to their duties and try to support their children Children grow up and respect their children's life philosophy. The "obedience" here does not mean "obedience" on the surface, but "assistance". (rites, mourning clothes, biography of Zixia) the so-called "four virtues" refer to: virtue, speech, appearance and work, that is, to be a woman, the first important thing is moral character, to be able to establish the foundation of the body; then "speech", to have knowledge and self-cultivation, to speak appropriately, and to speak appropriately; then "appearance", that is, appearance, to point out that the entrance should be dignified and steady, not frivolous; finally "work", that is, to govern the family Tao, the way of running a family, includes the details of life, such as husband and son, respect for the old and love the young, diligence and thrift. (Zhouli Tianguan Jiupin)

Division of labor

"Difference between inside and outside" is the most important norm of traditional society. (1) the position and division of labor are "men outside and women inside" with "family (household)" as the boundary. Men are engaged in politics, war, service, farming, hunting, business and so on outside, while women are "in charge of feeding (cooking, wine and other household chores)", silkworm weaving, child rearing, filial piety and so on. In the upper class, "external affairs" refers to taking charge of and participating in political affairs and military affairs (also known as "public affairs" and "major affairs"), which is the privilege of male noble bureaucrats. Women are not allowed to dabble in it. This is a violation of the principle that "the hen is in charge of the morning, but only the home" (the hen's crowing is an ominous omen for the family and country). In the lower class, the typical division of labor of the small farmers in the farming society is men farming and women weaving (such as the legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl). This kind of division of position and division of labor between men and women forms the internal and external barriers in daily life, such as residence, activities, communication and behavior - "male dominates the outside, female dominates the inside", "men and women are not intimate", "internal words cannot be expressed, external words cannot be entered" and so on. (2) the internal and external division of family organization is just opposite to the position and division of labor, such as men inside and women outside, men in charge and women subordinate. marriage, the "inside" and "outside" of the family family is the most important organizational form of gender relations, and marriage is the means and process of forming a family. the principle of marriage and family formation is that men are the inside and women are the outside. The purpose of "benefiting the inside" is to facilitate the succession, harmony and prosperity of the man's family. The woman's relatives are called "Waiqi", and it is said that giving birth to a daughter is an "outsider". the custom of marriage and family system is that the man is the master and the woman is the slave -- the monogamy and multiple concubines system is practiced in which the man marries the woman and the husband lives. The practice is that when a man reaches adulthood, he will marry a wife and have a son (especially a son who must be born by himself) in order to inherit the family tradition; a married woman must live in her husband's family, and the status of family relatives is determined according to her husband's position and seniority. The number of couples is not balanced. It is stipulated that the upper class men can marry several concubines in addition to a legitimate wife (commonly known as "the eldest wife"). For example, the ritual system of the Zhou Dynasty stipulates that the emperor can marry 12 women at a time, the princes are 9, and the number of concubines below the doctor is decreasing. The Qin Dynasty began to specify the number of concubines. The descendants had three palaces, six courtyards and seventy-two concubines, but the emperors of the past dynasties often broke through, with three thousand beauties and tens of thousands of concubines. According to the principle of etiquette and law, bureaucrats can't take concubines, but in fact, bureaucrats also have the privilege of taking concubines. Generally speaking, concubines are not allowed among civilians unless they are 40 years old and have no children.

influence

The "difference between inside and outside" in the Western Zhou Dynasty began. Zhou destroyed the Shang Dynasty and established the first system civilization ruled by blood aristocrats, including the system of inheritance by the eldest son and the system of enfeoffment, which was known as "the Duke of Zhou made rites". Power and position, distribution and inheritance need to determine the aristocratic man based marriage and family system as the guarantee of the organization. The division of labor between men and women is divided to exclude women's participation in political and military activities. the significance of internal and external differentiation does not lie in "separation" and "separation", but in the unlimited, open, important and potential development of men's external space and duties, while women's internal space is limited, closed, circular and belittled. marriage and family are also the internal (male) origin and external (female) end, and male masters and female followers. "The difference between inside and outside" has become the basis of a series of rules such as maintaining the patriarchal system and deciding "three obediences and four virtues" to women. It is the basis of thousands of years of male superiority and female inferiority, and the system guarantee to continue.

Follow the father without marriage

The "three obedience" morality evolved from the mourning system to the interpersonal relationship of domination and obedience, corresponding to the "three cardinal guides" advocated by the Han Dynasty - "father as son guide" and "husband as wife guide" in the family, and extended to the gender relationship, that is, "from father" and "from husband". "Obedience" has multiple meanings -- obedience, obedience, obedience and so on. Women who are required to comply with the three obedience morality can not be self-directed and independent (materialize women), but must act according to their father's orders, husband's orders and son's will, so as to be filial to their daughter, virtuous to their wife and good to their mother. "Unmarried obedience to the father" is to ask the unmarried "in room daughter" to listen to their parents, "not disobeying the father's orders" is to "be filial" (according to Confucius' explanation, it means parents, but it also means "to be filial to the mother for the sake of being a father"); the daughter's filial piety, in addition to taking good care of her daily life, also needs to stand up when her father is in danger, like Chunyu tiying persuading Wen in the Western Han Dynasty In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao E was drowned in order to save his father from drowning (there is a "monument of Cao E" in the history to praise Cao E's filial piety). Obedience to parents' orders is also the expression of obedience and filial piety.

After marriage

"Married to her husband" means that a married woman must obey her husband's orders. A gentle and virtuous wife means to help her husband "follow her husband" since the woman's marriage. The wedding ceremony is "the man is handsome and the woman follows the man, and the couple's righteousness begins from then on"; the mother tells her daughter "never disobey her husband". When you go to your husband's home, you can get kinship terms (such as daughter-in-law, Di Si, aunt, sister-in-law, etc.) according to your husband's seniority and status. The wife regards her husband as "heaven" and "Heaven's destiny can't be escaped, and husband's destiny can't be disobeyed". She must obey and respect her husband and follow her husband. For example, Meng Guang in the Han Dynasty "raised his eyebrows to her husband Liang Hong" and was praised as "respecting each other as a guest". wives also need to perform filial piety on behalf of their husbands, serve their parents in law's daily life, and give birth to children for their husbands; since the Song Dynasty, it has become the most important duty for women to teach their husbands and children. In the spring and Autumn period, Mrs. Xi, the wife of the king of Xi state, was captured by the state of Chu, and the king of Chu forced her to be his wife. She refused to die and became a model of chastity in historical books. The system of official commendation for chastity in past dynasties has led to some women's self mutilation. Even before their husbands died of illness or war, their wives and concubines died in advance to show their loyalty to their husbands.

When a husband dies, he follows his son

After the husband dies, the woman must obey her son's orders, and a good wife and mother means to support and assist her son. It is a kind of continuation of women from husband, father died and son inherited. Essence: the superior is inferior, the inferior is superior, and the superior is filial to the inferior. use to prevent the prince from being manipulated by his relatives when he is a minor, and prevent the appearance of the female emperor.

Evolution of four virtues

"Four virtues" were originally the training of four necessary accomplishments for palace women: morality, speech, appearance and skill

Chinese PinYin : sān cóng sì dé