女为悦己者容

女為悅己者容
nǚwèiyuèjǐzhěróng
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 a woman adorns herself for one who appreciates her
  2. 2 fig. people put themselves forward for those who value them
  3. 3 complement of 士为知己者死

Examples

Gǔrén shuō shì wèi zhījǐ zhě sǐ, nǚ wèi yuè jǐ zhě róng.
The ancients said: a scholar dies for one who truly knows him, a woman adorns herself for one who delights in her.
Tā hěn huì dǎbàn, búguò yě suàn nǚ wèi yuè jǐ zhě róng.
She dresses beautifully — but really, a woman adorns herself for one who appreciates her.

Tips

history
From 《·刺客》, spoken by the assassin Yu Rang () when explaining his loyalty to Zhi Bo: 知己 — 'A knight dies for one who truly knows him; a woman makes herself beautiful for one who delights in her.' A paired proverb about reciprocal recognition as the ground of loyalty and self-presentation.
usage
Always cited with the leading half 知己. The modern reading sometimes flips it into a line about female self-expression for the sake of a lover — but classically it's about mutual recognition, not just romance. here is a verb = 'adorn oneself.'

Stroke Order

wèi
yuè
zhě
róng