三寸金莲

三寸金蓮

sāncùnjīnlián

idiom

Meanings

1 three-inch golden lotus
2 (historical) bound feet; the ideal tiny foot of a Chinese woman with bound feet

Characters

Examples

旧时以三寸金莲为美，实际上是对女性的摧残。

Jiùshí yǐ sāncùnjīnlián wéi měi, shíjì shàng shì duì nǚxìng de cuīcán.

In the old days three-inch golden lotuses were considered beautiful — but in reality it was torture for women.

《红楼梦》里还能看到对三寸金莲的描写。

《Hónglóumèng》 lǐ hái néng kàndào duì sāncùnjīnlián de miáoxiě.

Descriptions of 'three-inch golden lotus' feet still appear in Dream of the Red Chamber.

Tips

history

Foot-binding likely began in the late Tang or early Song and persisted into the early 20th century, when it was outlawed. Three 寸 (Chinese inches) ≈ 10 cm; anything longer was considered 'iron lotus' 铁莲 rather than gold. 'Lotus' in the name is the Buddhist lotus-step — the feet, not the walker, were called lotuses.

Stroke Order

三 sān

寸 cùn

金 jīn

莲 lián