三从

三從

sāncóng

noun

Meanings

1 the three obediences
2 the Confucian rule that a woman obey her father, then husband, then son

Characters

to obey, follow

Examples

HSK 5

古代礼教要求女子遵守三从。

Gǔdài lǐjiào yāoqiú nǚzǐ zūnshǒu sāncóng.

Ancient ritual teaching required women to observe the three obediences.

HSK 7-9

三从指未嫁从父、出嫁从夫、夫死从子。

Sāncóng zhǐ wèi jià cóng fù, chūjià cóng fū, fū sǐ cóng zǐ.

The three obediences mean: before marriage obey the father, after marriage the husband, after his death the son.

Tips

history

Traces to 《仪礼·丧服·子夏传》 - 未嫁从父，既嫁从夫，夫死从子 ('unmarried, follow the father; married, follow the husband; widowed, follow the son'). The first half of the binomial 三从四德. Today almost always invoked critically - feminist historiography in China uses it as shorthand for the patriarchal ritual code.

Stroke Order

三 sān

从 cóng