Keywords: Shi Shuo Xin Yu, Yuan Xian, female image
Text: This book has a lot of space to describe the demeanor and meteorology of celebrities in Wei and Jin Dynasties at that time, such as Ji Kang, Ruan Ji, Wang Xizhi, Xie An (and his Xie family) and others appeared many times in Shi Shuo Xin Yu. In my opinion, his demeanor in Wei and Jin Dynasties can be summarized as: "Virtue inside and outside, virtue in mind, action in action." (Zheng Xuan notes "Records of Li Zhou's Local Officials") Although men account for a large part, this does not affect the brilliance of women's images at all. As Hu Yinglin said in the poem: "When women have (literary) collections, the Six Dynasties have the most." During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, politics was dark and society was turbulent, and people were restricted by the hierarchy of gate and gate, which was a constraint for men and not necessarily easy for women, but many talented women emerged at that time, such as Xie Daowen, Cai Wenji, Juicy Zuo and Xue Tao.
First, it is difficult for men to recite Tao Yun's words.
The most famous of these talented women is Xie Daowen, and Xie Daowen is mentioned twice in Shi Shuo Xin Yu. 1. Speech on July 1st: Mrs. Xie got together on a cold snowy day to tell her children the significance of the paper. Suddenly, the snow suddenly began to fall, and the public said happily, "What is snow like?" Xie Lang, his elder brother, said, "The air is almost equal." . His eldest brother's daughter said, "Catkin can dance with the wind better than the wind." "."The Imperial Guard laughed. She is the daughter of Xie An, the daughter of Xie An, and the wife of the left-wing general Wang Ningzhi. The second is "26": Mrs. Xie, who used to belong to the Wang family, is very thin and condensed. If you give it back to Xie Jia, that's too much. The teacher comforted him and said, "Wang Lang, the son of Shao Yi, is not a bad person. Why do you hate Neil? " A: "An Shu has Ada and Zhong Lang; If you follow your brother, you will be blocked, Hu, suppressed and ended. Unexpectedly, there is Wang Lang! " From these two stories, we can see a female image that combines talent and pride. She comes from a famous family, and she can still answer her questions and express her unique opinions with her uncle and brother. The phrase "if catkins are not due to the wind" is a metaphor for my brother's "salty air". What my brother lacks in his words is not only the dynamic beauty, but also a charm. Therefore, Xie Daowen is known as a "gifted scholar", which shows that Xie Daowen is indeed a talented woman, and her talent is no less than that of men. But Xie Daowen is also very cold. From Yuan Xian Erliu, we can see that she married Wang Ningzhi, the son of Wang Xizhi, but she despises Wang Ningzhi very much and thinks that he is not as good as Gu Jie's brother, lamenting that there are such people in the world. It can be seen that she is very dissatisfied with her husband in her heart. Xie An comforted her that she is the son of Wang Xizhi. If people don't do evil, how can they be so sorry for others? Xie Daowen retorted that Gu Jie's children are very clever, but he is definitely not as good as them.
Therefore, even a talented woman like Xie Daowen has no autonomy in marriage. She married Wang Ningzhi, but she was dissatisfied with Wang Ningzhi. What she wants is not a brother and a man who can't compare with her surroundings. What she wants is a rich, handsome, attractive, talented and talented man. But how many men can compare with a talented woman like Xie Daowen? There is a story in the Book of Jin: Ning's younger brother took a bite, discussed it with the guests, and the words were bent. He said, "I want to save Xiao Lang." This is Shi Qing's cover-up step, and guests can't bend over before applying. Visible in the "debate" Xie Daowen is not lost to men, her talent is far better than many ordinary men. In fact, such a woman was "different" in any dynasty, too intelligent and surpassed men, which left her a unique position in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
However, women like Xie Daowen are a minority after all. Since ancient times, China thought that "a woman without talent is virtue", and all previous dynasties did not attach importance to women's education. Apart from family background, women have limited access to educational resources. In Zhou Li, it is mentioned that "the method of women's study" is a female virtue, a female speech, a female appearance and a female merit, but Liu Yiqing has left such a "heterogeneous" talented woman a blank, which shows that the female image in Xie Daowen is indeed unique and alternative.
Second, Xu Yun's wife is ugly and has both four virtues.
Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were the times of "seeing faces". Handsome men are highly respected. Pan Lang went out to travel with a full load, and an ugly man like Zuo Si was vomited all over the street by a woman, and finally returned in despair. (Shi Shuo Xin Yu Rong Zhi VII) This situation has happened more than once. Wei Jie was a famous handsome man at that time, and people rushed to see his face and his elegant demeanor. When Wei Jie came to Beijing from Zhang Yu County, there were as many people watching as a wall. Because of weakness and exhaustion, he finally died of serious illness. At that time, people called it "Watch and Kill Wei Jun".
It can be seen that people pursued the beauty of human appearance and the shape of human body at that time. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, men should wear makeup like women to make themselves look like jade and pay great attention to their personal image. The pursuit of external beauty is not only manifested in men, but also in women. For example, Ruan Shi, the wife of Xu Yun in Jin Dynasty, was an ugly person, but she won her husband's respect with her wisdom. "Shi Shuo Xin Yu Liu" records that Xu Yun's wife is Ruan Weiwei's daughter, virtuous as a sister, and extremely ugly. The family was deeply worried about the gift, but they agreed unreasonably. I will let a guest, the woman, ask the maid to look at it and return it, saying, "It's Huan Lang." Huan Lang, Huan Fan also. Fu Yun said, "If you have no worries, Huan will persuade you to enter the DPRK." Huan Guoyu Xu Yun said, "Since Ruan's family has married an ugly girl and Qing, if there is any interest, Qing should keep it." Xu will go back inside. I want to go out when I see a woman. Women expect this to be unreasonable and hold on to it. Xu Yin said, "Women have four virtues, but how many do you have?" The woman said, "The bride lacks tolerance. However, there are white lines, and how many are you? " Xu said, "Everything is ready." The woman said, "Virtue is the head of every man's career, but lust is not good for you. What is everything? " Allow shame and then respect each other. Ruan Shi, the heroine in this story, was disliked by her husband because of her ugly appearance, but she didn't cry alone in the room but hoped her husband could meet her. Although she is not very likable, she solved her husband's ugly problem with her wit. At that time, women were bound by three obedience and four virtues (three obedience: from father at home, from husband after marriage, and from husband to son after death: virtue, speech, appearance and female workers), but Ruan did solve his ugly embarrassment with his three obedience and four virtues. Although she looks ugly, she shows her wisdom. Such self-confidence is also lacking in modern women. She made up for her ugliness with wisdom and virtue. From this conversation, we can easily see that Ruan's own good upbringing first asks her husband if he has all the qualities of a scholar, and then refutes it by saying that her husband does not have all the qualities of a scholar. So she must have received a very good family education. When her husband disliked her ugly appearance, she didn't cry, but actively fought for the last chance for herself, so that her husband could see herself and change her impression of herself.
This strange girl is rare, and Liu Yiqing didn't describe her appearance too much. The short word "extremely ugly" shows how ugly she looks. However, the ugliness of appearance does not affect her delicate heart at all. In the face of her husband's "lewdness", she persuaded him to change his view of herself. We can't get a glimpse of Ruan's mood at that time, but we can vaguely perceive that this is another unsatisfactory marriage, which is different from the "women don't like men". We don't know how many such marriages there are, but there must be many such marriages. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the hierarchy was strict, and the upper class could only marry with the upper class, so such a love tragedy may cause serious psychological harm to men and women.
Third, Ji Wang's mother had the foresight to refuse to marry a short-lived woman.
In Shi Shuo Xin Yu Yuan Xian 12, there is a story: Wang Hun's wife gave birth to a daughter to be a Shu Han, seeking simplicity and beauty for her sister, but she didn't get it. She is a talented soldier and wants to be her sister's wife, but she is a white mother. He said: "Honesty is a talent, and its land can be left, but let me see it." Woods is a place where soldiers blend into the group so that they can be observed in the mother curtain. Then mother said to Woods, "Who is dressed like this? Is it what you want? " Woods said, "Yes." Mother said: "this is outstanding enough, but it's cold. It's useless for many years, so I can't apply." Judging from its shape and skeleton, it won't live long enough to get married. "Woods followed it. A few years later, all the soldiers died. Such a woman has foresight and reasonable reasoning, which makes her son break the idea of marrying her sister to a soldier and saves her sister from the pain of losing her husband. Mother can quietly observe in the curtains and infer the situation of soldiers, which shows that her skill of knowing people is profound. From Zhong's speech, we can clearly see her foresight. Unlike ordinary women, she is short-sighted and focuses on her own strengths. Although the soldier we see now is excellent, he is not a long-lived man. Zhong is more worried about his daughter's future.
Here, Zhong appeared as a loving mother and devoted herself to her daughter's lifelong events, but the short life of the soldier was not a lover she could entrust, so her mother refused him to become her son-in-law. Such a loving mother is also a wise woman with great foresight. Her meticulous observation of people can make a more accurate judgment of ordinary people through their appearance and movements, and the final outcome also proves that Zhong's decision is correct.
This reminds people of Han, the wife of another clever woman who loves to peep. According to Shi Shuo Xin Yu Yuan Xian Yi, on the one hand, Gong Shan and Ruan Ji are like Jin Lan. Shan's wife, Han Juegong, is different from them. When she asked him, he said, "In those days, I could be a friend, but I was the only one with two ears." The wife said, "The imprisoned wife also looked at the fox and Zhao and wanted to see them, but what?" Another day, the two of them came, and his wife advised the public to close the night, with wine and meat. Wear a hat at night, forget it. Gong Jin said, "What about those two?" The wife said, "Your talent is not as good as others, and you are just friends with your knowledge." Gong said: "Iraqis often win by our strength." Han, the wife in this story, also has a pair of eyes. At a glance, she can see the talent gap between her husband and Ji Kang and Ruan Ji, but at the same time, she also sees her husband's tolerance, and thinks that only such tolerance can make him associate with Ruan Ji.
Wang Hun's wife Zhong Shi and Dan Tao's wife Han Shi are both far-sighted female images. They are all qualified to be mothers and wives, help their daughters choose lovers and help their husbands make friends. Such images of mothers and wives are hard to see again after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, especially after the Song Dynasty. At that time, women's status was lower and they were completely dependent on men, so few people could help their daughters choose husbands and help their husbands make friends. Therefore, such a female image is even more valuable and valuable.
Fourthly, Wang Zhan's wife, Shi Hao, has a mother's tool, and Li Jia's network shows her willingness to commit to her family.
Wang Zhan's wife is the daughter of Hope, the magistrate of Luoyang. According to Shi Shuo Xin Yu Yuan Xian Yi Wu, Wang Runan was unmarried and asked for Hope's daughter. There is no marriage if you are stupid. You can do whatever you want. Being married is virtuous. Born in the East China Sea, she became the king's mother instrument. Or ask Runan: "How do you know?" He said, "When I tasted the well water, Rong Zhi didn't make a mistake. I didn't pay attention and I knew it. " Although Wang Zhan is considered a bit stupid by his father, it can be seen from his choice of daughter-in-law that he is not a real idiot. After observing in the dark, I found that Hope's daughter behaved appropriately and didn't break the rules, so I thought about it and married her.
In this story, we see a lady with beautiful appearance and standardized behavior. Hao's story can be included in Shi Shuo Xin Yu, not because of her extraordinary talent, nor because of her wisdom and foresight, but because she has a role model. Her total score in Wang's class is a model of motherhood, and such a role model of motherhood should have a considerable exemplary role at that time. What we can see is the demonstration significance brought to everyone through such a female image. What kind of personality a woman should have and what kind of manners a mother should have are the thoughts that Hao's image brought to people at that time.
Another story with the same effect comes from Shi Shuo Xin Yu Yuan Xian 18. When Zhou Jun was from Anton, he hunted, watched the rainstorm and passed by Li Runan. Li is rich, but that man is not. There was a woman named Shura, who knew there were nobles outside, took a maid to slaughter pigs and sheep inside, cooked for dozens of people, and did everything well, and no one heard. I met a woman in secret. She looks very strange. You want a concubine, but your father and brother don't. Shura said, "why do you cherish a daughter? If you marry a noble, it will be of great benefit in the future. " Father and brother follow it. That's why the Bolen brothers were born. Luo Xiuyu said to Boren and others, "That's why I'm a concubine for your family. If you don't kiss my family, I will not hesitate to spend the rest of my life! " Boren and others are well informed. From this point of view, Li is still alive, and he has met many teeth. Shura's family is rich, but humble. For the benefit of the family, she married the noble Zhou Jun as a concubine. Such a woman has foresight and insight. For the sake of family reproduction, she is willing to commit herself to be a concubine, but even if she is a concubine, she has not lost her dignity.
It is admirable that such a woman was willing to commit herself to be a concubine for the benefit of her family at that time. Although she was a concubine, she didn't look down on herself, but argued for her family status, so that the Li family also had their own place in the upper class and was respected by the upper class.
In order to give her family a place in the upper class, Shura married Zhou Jun as a concubine. According to the Li family's wealth, it is not decent to marry his daughter as a concubine, so my father and brother are extremely opposed. But I think this is a stepping stone for the Li family to climb the upper class. Through such a marriage, the Li family can get the respect of the upper class. It is precisely because of her foresight and dignity when she was a concubine that the position of the Li family has undergone earth-shaking changes, from the humble family at first to a family treated with courtesy by the upper class and respected by her own people and sons.
The morality, language, politics and literature listed at the beginning of Shi Shuo Xin Yu are the so-called "four subjects of Confucius". Advanced Analects of Confucius: "Virtue: Yan Yuan, Min Zikai, Ran Boniu, Zhong Gong; Word: slay me, Zigong; Politics: You Ran, Lu Ji; Literature: Ziyou, Xia Zi. " From the ranking of these four subjects, we know that Germany is in the first place. Not only men but also women need virtue. Xie Daowen has both ability and political integrity. Someone once said that she was the most character-oriented woman in Wei and Jin Dynasties. Although Xu Yun's wife is ugly, her moral character is still very good. Ji Wang's mother and Wang Zhan's wife are virtuous people. Therefore, a book Shi Shuo Xin Yu brought us not only the living conditions of celebrities in Wei and Jin Dynasties, but also the lifestyle of women at that time.
We see that only a small number of upper-class women are recorded, while those working women are rarely recorded. What we see is the female style of the upper class, but we can't see the female style of the lower class. Most upper-class women are well-educated because of their family background, and their fathers and brothers are insightful people. Most of them are brilliant, so they will leave a mark on history.
So I think the women in Shi Shuo Xin Yu are all typical upper-class women, and we see more upper-class situations. What they have done has been recognized by the public and the society. In this regard, they may be some typical women who set an example for society. Women have been attached to men since ancient times, but in Shi Shuo Xin Yu, we can see that women also have independent personalities. For example, Xie Daowen has publicly expressed his dislike for Wang Ningzhi's lack of talent. They are living women with distinct personalities. They are not dull women in our imagination, but women with their own personalities and ideas.
References: Shi Shuo Xin Yu (translated by Shen Haibo, Zhonghua Book Company)
Notes on Yu Jiaxi's Shi Shuo Xin Yu (Zhonghua Book Company)
Zheng Xuan notes "A Record of Li Zhou's Local Officials"
Hu Yinglin's Poems
Advanced Analects of Confucius
Xu Hong's View on Women in Wei and Jin Dynasties from the Female Images in Shi Shuo Xin Yu
Li Dan's Research on Female Images in Shi Shuo Xin Yu
On Zhen Jing's View of Women Scholars in Wei, Jin and Southern Dynasties from Shi Shuo Xin Yu