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?

四德

1. chữ Hán form of tứ đức (“four virtues”).