Ancient Biographies of Exemplary Women
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Summary
The two wives of Yu were the two daughters of Emperor Yao. The elder was Ehuang, the younger Nüying. Shun's father was stubborn and his mother was foolish. His father was called Gusou, and his younger brother was named Xiang, who was idle and given to arrogance; Shun was able to soften and harmonize with them, and served Gusou with filial piety. His mother hated Shun and loved Xiang, yet Shun still governed his household well and harbored no treacherous intent. The Four Mountains recommended him to Yao, and Yao gave him his two daughters as wives in order to observe how he managed his household. The two daughters served Shun amid the fields, and because they were the daughters of the Son of Heaven they were not proud, idle, or arrogant, but remained humble, respectful, and frugal, thinking only of fulfilling the way of a wife.
Editor's review
The Gu Lienü Zhuan (Ancient Biographies of Exemplary Women) is a collection of biographies of women from antiquity compiled by Liu Xiang of the Western Han, here reissued in a modern edited edition. The opening selection recounts the marriage of Ehuang and Nüying to Shun; its core is not romantic plot but the portrayal of the two women's humility, propriety, and fulfillment of wifely duty amid family conflict, offering a glimpse of the ethical orientation and family ethics of early narratives about women. The book links its material through character stories; its language is plain and concise, and its narration has the restraint characteristic of pre-Qin and Han texts. It is suitable as an introductory reader for understanding ancient views of women and the early biographical genre. Readers can sense in these short pieces how ancient family relations, filial piety, and ideals of female virtue were narrated and evaluated, and can also observe the origins of later types of stories about women. It is best read with the figures placed in their own era, recognizing both their ethical concerns and the distance of modern critical perspective; for readers of ancient literature, women's history, or ethical thought, the book offers primary textual material worth repeated reading and is well suited to keep at one's desk and read piece by piece.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- General readers interested in ancient stories about women and ethical ideas
- Readers of pre-Qin and Han texts and history who want to understand the origins of the biographical genre
- University students of ancient literature or women's history who need primary source material
- Readers who wish to understand traditional family ethics through short stories
Not a good fit for
- Readers who prefer the pace of modern fiction and want intricate, exciting plots
- Beginners impatient with classical Chinese narrative and ancient moral instruction
- Readers seeking systematic conclusions from women's history research rather than primary texts
Reading tips
- Begin with the selected piece on Ehuang and Nüying, clarifying the relationships and the focus of the narration, then gradually expand to other pieces.
- After each piece, summarize the characters' actions and the evaluative language in two or three sentences, building a stock of key ethical terms.
- Understand the stories against the pre-Qin and Han background, distinguishing the narrator's praise and blame from your own present-day judgment.
- Read alongside later biographies of women or notebooks to observe how similar stories were rewritten and what was emphasized in different eras.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 卷一 母仪传
- 卷一之一有虞二妃
- 卷一之二弃母姜嫄
- 卷一之三契母简狄
- 卷一之四启母涂山
- 卷一之五汤妃有莘
- 卷一之六周室三母
- 卷一之七卫姑定姜
- 卷一之八齐女傅母
- 卷一之九鲁季敬姜
- 卷一之十楚子发母
- 卷一之十一邹孟轲母
- 卷一之十二鲁之母师
- 卷一之十三魏芒慈母
- 卷一之十四齐田稷母
- 卷二 贤明传
- 卷二之一周宣姜后
- 卷二之二齐桓卫姬
- 卷二之三晋文齐姜
- 卷二之四秦穆公姬
- 卷二之五楚庄樊姬
- 卷二之六周南之妻
- 卷二之七宋鲍女宗
- 卷二之八晋赵衰妻
- 卷二之九陶荅子妻
- 卷二之十柳下惠妻
- 卷二之十一鲁黔娄妻
- 卷二之十二齐相御妻
- 卷二之十三楚接舆妻
- 卷二之十四楚老莱妻
- 卷二之十五楚于陵妻
- 卷三 仁智传
- 卷三之一密康公母
- 卷三之二楚武邓曼
- 卷三之三许穆夫人
- 卷三之四曹僖氏妻
- 卷三之五孙叔敖母
- 卷三之六晋伯宗妻
- 卷三之七卫灵夫人
- 卷三之八齐灵仲子
- 卷三之九鲁臧孙母
- 卷三之十晋羊叔姬
- 卷三之十一晋范氏母
- 卷三之十二鲁公乘姒
- 卷三之十三鲁漆室女
- 卷三之十四魏曲沃负
- 卷三之十五赵将括母
- 卷四 贞顺传
- 卷四之一召南申女
- 卷四之二宋恭伯姬
- 卷四之三卫宣夫人
- 卷四之四蔡人之妻
- 卷四之五黎庄夫人
- 卷四之六齐孝孟姬
- 卷四之七息君夫人
- 卷四之八齐杞梁妻
- 卷四之九楚平伯嬴
- 卷四之十楚昭贞姜
- 卷四之十一楚白贞姬
- 卷四之十二卫宗二顺
- 卷四之十三鲁寡陶婴
- 卷四之十四梁寡高行
- 卷四之十五陈寡孝妇
- 卷五 节义传
- 卷五之一鲁孝义保
- 卷五之二楚成郑瞀
- 卷五之三晋圉怀嬴
- 卷五之四楚昭越姬
- 卷五之五盖将之妻
- 卷五之六鲁义姑姊
- 卷五之七代赵夫人
- 卷五之八齐义继母
- 卷五之九鲁秋洁妇
- 卷五之十周主忠妾
- 卷五之十一魏节乳母
- 卷五之十二梁节姑姊
- 卷五之十三珠崖二义
- 卷五之十四合阳友娣
- 卷五之十五京师节女
- 卷六 辩通传
- 卷六之一齐管妾婧
- 卷六之二楚江乙母
- 卷六之三晋弓工妻
- 卷六之四齐伤槐女
- 卷六之五楚野辩女
- 卷六之六阿谷处女
- 卷六之七赵津女娟
- 卷六之八赵佛肸母
- 卷六之九齐威虞姬
- 卷六之十齐锺离春
- 卷六之十一齐宿瘤女
- 卷六之十二齐孤逐女
- 卷六之十三楚处庄侄
- 卷六之十四齐女徐吾
- 卷六之十五齐太仓女
- 卷七 孽嬖传
- 卷七之一夏桀末喜
- 卷七之二殷纣妲己
- 卷七之三周幽褎姒
- 卷七之四卫宣公姜
- 卷七之五鲁桓文姜
- 卷七之六鲁庄哀姜
- 卷七之七晋献骊姬
- 卷七之八鲁宣缪姜
- 卷七之九陈女夏姬
- 卷七之九齐灵声姬
- 卷七之十一齐东郭姜
- 卷七之十二卫二乱女
- 卷七之十三赵灵吴女
- 卷七之十四楚考李后
- 卷七之十五赵悼倡后
- 卷八 新刊续列女传
- 卷八之一周郊妇人
- 卷八之二陈辩女
- 卷八之三聂政姊
- 卷八之四王孙氏母
- 卷八之五陈婴母
- 卷八之六王陵母
- 卷八之七张汤母
- 卷八之八隽不疑母
- 卷八之九杨夫人
- 卷八之十霍夫人显
- 卷八之十一严廷年母
- 卷八之十二汉冯昭仪
- 卷八之十三王章妻女
- 卷八之十四班婕妤
- 卷八之十五汉赵飞燕
- 卷八之十六汉孝平王后
- 卷八之十七更始韩夫人
- 卷八之十八梁鸿妻
- 卷八之十九明德马后
- 卷八之二十梁夫人嫕
FAQ
What is the Gu Lienü Zhuan mainly about?
It is a collection of biographies of women from antiquity compiled by Liu Xiang of the Western Han, recording the words, deeds, and character of various women in one story after another. The selected piece on Ehuang and Nüying describes how, after marrying Shun, the two did not give themselves airs as daughters of the Son of Heaven but remained humble, respectful, and proper amid family conflict, fulfilling the way of a wife; it reflects the ethical concerns of early narratives about women. The book's pieces are short and its language plain, making it suitable for reading piece by piece.
Can someone without a foundation in classical Chinese read this book?
They can try, but patience is needed. The original language is plain and concise, and its sentence patterns differ from modern Chinese. It is best to start with shorter pieces, use annotations to clarify relationships and key terms, and not get bogged down in every character. If you have no experience reading classical Chinese at all, begin with a vernacular translation and annotation edition for comparison, then return to the original to appreciate its narrative tone and word choice.
What attitude should one take to reading this book today?
It is best read as a historical text: understand how ancient family ethics and views of women were narrated, while keeping a modern critical perspective. The standards of praise and blame in the book belong to their era; there is no need to accept them wholesale, nor to dismiss them outright. Pay attention to the choices characters make in specific situations and to the words the narrator uses to evaluate them, so as to understand how ideas formed and what their limitations were.
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About the author
Liu Xiang
Author · Chinese (Western Han)
Liu Xiang (77 BCE–6 BCE), courtesy name Zizheng and originally named Gengsheng, was a member of the Western Han imperial clan and a scholar of the classics, a bibliographer, and a literary figure. Publicly available details of his life are limited, and even his birth and death years are disputed, yet his place in the history of Chinese bibliography and literature is clear. Under Emperor Cheng he led the collation of the imperial library and compiled the Bielu, a systematic catalogue and edition of court texts, and later generations honored him as the founder of Chinese bibliography. He edited and compiled the Intrigues of the Warring States and the Songs of Chu, helping to preserve both works, and wrote such books as the Xinxu, Shuoyuan, and Lienü Zhuan, which often use historical anecdotes and the words and deeds of figures to expound political and ethical teachings, combining historical value with literary interest. His editorial and compilation work spans literary appreciation, folk literature, Eastern philosophy, and documentary prose, and has greatly aided later understanding of thought and writing from the pre-Qin through the Han period.
