Ancient Chinese sayings often reflected the values of the society at the time, especially regarding marriage and women. These sayings carry the ancient people's thinking about interpersonal relationships, morality, ethics and social norms, they are the inheritance of ancient wisdom, and they are also a window for us to understand the ancient social landscape.
Among them, there is a saying that is thought-provoking:"The woman with a back-faced face has eight legs outside, and there are moles and high cheekbones among people".。So, what does this phrase mean? Does that make sense? Let's take a look!
The woman with her back face is eight legs outside
This quote describes a woman walking with her head held high, as quickly as if she had eight legs. In ancient times, women were believed to maintain a subtle, mystical image, with their eyebrows lowered and their faces covered, the so-called "half-covered face with a lute". As a result, women who hold their heads high are often criticized for lacking etiquette and femininity. In ancient society, it was generally believed that women should be weak and involuntary, and this kind of capable behavior was regarded as inconsistent with traditional values, and even regarded as not abiding by women's morals after marrying into the husband's family.
There are moles in people with high cheekbones
This phrase deals with the idea of physiognomy and physical characteristics. In ancient times, it was believed that moles and spots on the body reflected the health of the body, and that the "philtrum" was an extremely sensitive area. Moles are often associated with health, so women with moles are considered to have possible health problems and are therefore shunned.
In addition, "high cheekbones" is homophonic with the "right" of power, so the ancients believed that women with high cheekbones craved power and wealth and might use their wisdom and longevity to acquire possessions. This view is clearly a prejudice against women, and neither in ancient times nor today, a person's character and qualities cannot be judged by their physiognomy and physical characteristics.
Overall, these ancient sayings reflect the stereotypes and gender biases that society had about women at the time. However, in modern society, we should pay more attention to the qualities and behaviors of the individual, and should not evaluate the value of a person by physical characteristics or physical condition.
As we know, the evolution of science and human ideas has made these ancient ideas seem outdated and irrational. Therefore, we should refuse to judge people by their appearance, and truly understand that a person needs to be achieved by getting along and communicating. In today's society, we should be convinced that everyone should be judged by their inner qualities and behaviors, and not bound by stereotypes conveyed by ancient sayings.