四德

四德

1. (literary) the "four womanly virtues" (according to traditional Chinese culture, i.e. wifely ethics, wifely speech, wifely manners/appearance, and wifely work)

   • 許因謂曰：「婦有四德，卿有其幾？」婦曰：「新婦所乏唯容爾。然士有百行，君有幾？」 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     许因谓曰：“妇有四德，卿有其几？”妇曰：“新妇所乏唯容尔。然士有百行，君有几？” [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: Liu Yiqing (editor), A New Account of the Tales of the World, 5^th century CE

     Xǔ yīn wèi yuē: “Fù yǒu sìdé, qīng yǒu qí jǐ?” Fù yuē: “Xīnfù suǒfá wéi róng ěr. Rán shì yǒu bǎixíng, jūn yǒu jǐ?” [Pinyin]

     Xu therefore asked her, "There are the Four Virtues demanded on a wife. How many of them do you possess?" "Your new bride is lacking in but the appearance. Yet among the multitude of virtues that a high-born man should emulate, how many have you achieved?" said his wife.

2. (literary) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see 四 (sì),‎ 德 (dé).

   • 背施無親，幸災不仁，貪愛不祥，怒鄰不義；四德皆失，何以守國？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     背施无亲，幸灾不仁，贪爱不祥，怒邻不义；四德皆失，何以守国？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Bèi shī wúqīn, xìng zāi bùrén, tān ài bùxiáng, nù lín bùyì; sìdé jiē shī, héyǐ shǒu guó? [Pinyin]

     To betray goodwill is the path to one's own betrayal; to revel in others' pain is to violate charity; to be stringy and avaricious is to beckon ill fate; and to provoke a neighbour's anger is to place oneself in the wrong. Having contravened these four ethical principles, with what can one protect one's state?