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

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.

三从指未嫁从父、出嫁从夫、夫死从子。

Sāncóng zhǐ wèijià 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

Per 《新华词典》: 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 (see that entry). Today almost always invoked critically — feminist historiography in China uses it as shorthand for the patriarchal ritual code.

Stroke Order

三 sān

从 cóng