四德 (sìdé): the four virtues

Meanings

1 the four virtues
2 the Confucian feminine virtues: morality, proper speech, proper bearing, and needlework skill

Characters

四

Examples

四德指妇德、妇言、妇容、妇功。

Sìdé zhǐ fùdé, fùyán, fùróng, fùgōng.

The four virtues are female virtue, speech, bearing, and skill at work.

三从四德是过去对妇女的要求。

Sāncóng sìdé shì guòqù duì fùnǚ de yāoqiú.

The three obediences and four virtues were the demands once placed on women.

Tips

history

Per CC-CEDICT, 四德 originally had a male sense — 孝 piety, 悌 brotherly respect, 忠 loyalty, 信 faith — but the feminine reading from 《周礼·天官》 (妇德/妇言/妇容/妇功) became dominant when paired with 三从. The pairing 三从四德 (see entry) was canonized by 《女诫》 of 班昭 (Eastern Han) and remained the conduct manual for imperial-era women until the 20th-century reforms.