The Three Obediences and Four Virtues (Chinese: 三從四德; pinyin: Sāncóng Sìdé) is a set of moral principles and social code of behavior for maiden and married women in East Asian Confucianism, especially in ancient and imperial China. Women were to obey their fathers, husbands, and sons, and to be modest and moral in their actions and speech.
Terminology
The two terms (“three obediences” and “four virtues”) first appeared in the Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial and in the Rites of Zhou respectively, which codified the protocol for an elegant and refined culture for Chinese civilization. The protocol was originally meant to define the various parts of a harmonious society and was not intended as a rule book. This code had a strong impact on ancient and imperial China. It went on to influence other East Asian civilizations, such as Japan and Korea, and prescribed East Asian social and philosophical thought even into the twentieth century.[1]
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