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E X C E R P T S F R O M A N A L E C T S F O R W O M E N B y S o n g R u o z h a o Introduct ion Confucius had very little to say about the roles and expectations of women in the family or in society. Thus it was left for Confucian scholars to apply the principles enunciated by Confucius and Mencius to the task of prescribing expectations and behavioral norms for women in a Confucian family and a Confucian society. To these scholars also fell the task of justifying the education of women and the task of laying forth the parameters and techniques for the education of girls and women. Two of the most influential scholars in this area were women of the Tang dynasty: Song Ruohua and her sister, Song Ruozhao. Both were daughters of a high-ranking Tang official, Song Fen. Ruohua wrote the text below, while her sister, Ruozhao, propagated it. Ruozhao did not marry, but dedicated her life to the instruction of women, being invited to the court of the Tang Dezong Emperor in the late eighth century to serve as instructor of the royal princesses. The “Analects for Women” was one of the most popular texts for women’s education in pre-modern China. Docume nt Exce rpts with Que st ions (Longer selection follows this section) From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999), 827-831. © 1999 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

ExcerptsfromAnalectsforWomenBySongRuozhao

Whenwalking,don’tturnyourhead;whentalking,don’topenyourmouthwide;whensitting,don’tmoveyourknees;whenstanding,don’trustleyourskirts;whenhappy,don’texultwithloudlaughter;whenangry,don’traiseyourvoice.Theinnerandouterquartersaredistinct;thesexesshouldbesegregated.Don’tpeerovertheouterwallorgobeyondtheoutercourtyard.Ifyou have to go outside, cover your face; if you peep outside, conceal yourself as much aspossible.Do not be on familiar termswithmen outside the family; have nothing to dowithwomenofbadcharacter.Establishyourproperselfsoastobecomea[true]humanbeing.

…Yourfather‑in‑lawandmother‑in‑lawaretheheadsofyourhusband’sfamily.…Youmustcareforthemasyourownmotherandfather.Respectfullyserveyourfather‑in‑law.Donotlookathimdirectly [whenhe speaks toyou],donot followhimaround, anddonot engagehim inconversation.Ifhehasanorderforyou,listenandobey.

…

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Listencarefullytoandobeywhateveryourhusbandtellsyou. Que st ions :

1. As you read these selections, what do they tell you about a woman’s position in the family?

2. To what extent do you think that these prescriptions for women’s behavior could be carried out in an upper-class household? In a poor farmer’s household?

3. What might be the purpose of the rules concerning a daughter-in-law’s behavior toward her father-in-law?

4. Why would an aristocratic woman teach other women these rules of behavior?

If he [your husband] does somethingwrong, gently correct him.Don’t be like thosewomenwhonotonlydonotcorrecttheirhusbands,butactuallyleadthemintoindecentways.…Don’timitatethoseshrewishwiveswholovetoclashheadwiththeirhusbandsallthetime.

…Awomanwhomanages the household should be thrifty and diligent. If she is diligent, thehousehold thrives; if lazy, it declines. If she is thrifty, the household becomes enriched; ifextravagant, it becomes impoverished. … If your husband has money and rice, store andconserve them. Ifhehaswineor foodstuffs, saveandkeep themforuseofguestswhen theycome;donottakeanytoindulgeyourowndesires. Que st ions :

5. What do these two passages suggest about the roles of women in the family?

6. What do these two passages indicate about women’s roles which might lead you to revise conclusions drawn solely on the passages concerning proper comportment and obedience to husband and parents-in-law?

7. How do gender relations and women’s roles as described in all of the above passages compare to those in your own, contemporary society? How do they compare to gender relations and women’s roles in your society’s past?

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Longe r Se le ct ion From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999), 827-831. © 1999 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

ExcerptsfromAnalectsforWomenBySongRuozhao

EstablishingOneselfasaPersonTobeawoman,youmustfirstlearnhowtoestablishyourselfasaperson.Thewaytodothisissimplybyworkinghardtoestablishone’spurityandchastity.Bypurity,onekeepsone’sselfundefiled;bychastity,onepreservesone’shonor.Whenwalking,don’tturnyourhead;whentalking,don’topenyourmouthwide;whensitting,don’tmoveyourknees;whenstanding,don’trustleyourskirts;whenhappy,don’texultwithloud laughter; when angry, don’t raise your voice. The inner and outer quarters are eachdistinct;thesexesshouldbesegregated.Don’tpeerovertheouterwallorgobeyondtheoutercourtyard.Ifyouhavetogooutside,coveryourface; ifyoupeepoutside,concealyourselfasmuchaspossible.Donotbeonfamiliartermswithmenoutsidethefamily;havenothingtodowithwomenofbadcharacter.Establishyourproperselfsoastobecomea[true]humanbeing.LearningHowtoWorkTobeawomanonemust learnthedetailsofwomen’swork.Learnhowtoweavewithhempandramie;don’tmix fineandrough fibers.Don’t run theshuttleof the loomsoquickly thatyoumakeamess.Whenyouseethesilkwormsspinningtheircocoons,youmustattendtothemdayandnight,pickingmulberryleavestofeedthem.…Learnhowtocutoutshoesandmakesocks.Learnhowtocutfabricandsewit intogarments.Learnhowtoembroider,mend,anddarn.…Donot learn thewaysof lazywomenwho fromanearlyagearesillyandshiftlessandwhohaveadistasteforwomen’swork.Theydon’tplanaheadinmakingclothestofittheneedsofeachseasonandhardlyeverpickupaneedletosew.…Married,theybringshameupontheirnewfamily,whogoaround in ill‑fitted,patched,andraggedclothing, so thatmeetingotherstheyarepointedtoasthelaughingstockoftheneighborhood.…RitualDecorum:LearningProperEtiquetteTobeawomanonemust learn therulesof ritualdecorum.Whenyouexpecta femaleguest,carefully cleanandarrange the furniture and tea implements.When she arrives, take time toadjustyourclothing,andthen,withlightstepsandyourhandsdrawnupinyoursleeves,walkslowly to the door andwith lowered voice, invite her in. Ask after her health and how herfamilyisdoing.Beattentivetowhatshesays.Afterchattingina leisurelyway,servethetea.Whensheleaves,sendheroffinapropermanner.…

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If you are invited to someone’s house, understand your female duties and help with thepreparation of the tea. After having talked for a time, rise to leave. Don’t overstay yourwelcome. If your hostess presses you to stay longer to share a meal, conduct yourself withpropriety.Don’tdrinksomuchthatyourfaceturnsredandyougetsloppyinthehandlingofyour chopsticks. Take your leave before all the food is gone and before you forget yourmanners.…RisingEarly[toBeginHouseholdWork]Tobeawomanonemust learntomakeitaregularpractice,at thefifthwatchwhenthecockcrows,toriseanddress.Aftercleaningyourfaceandteeth,fixyourhairandmakeupsimply.Thengotothekitchen,lightthefire,andstartthemorningmeal.Scrubthepotsandwashthepans;boil theteawaterandcookthegruel.Planyourmealsaccordingtotheresourcesofthefamilyandtheseasonsoftheyear,makingsurethattheyarefragrantandtasty,servedintheappropriatedishesandinthepropermanneratthetable.Ifyoustartearly,thereisnothingyoucan’tgetdoneinaday!Donot learn thewaysof those lazywomenwhoare thoughtlessanddonotplanahead.Thesun is already high in the sky before theymanage to get themselves out of bed. Then theystagger to the kitchen, disheveled and unwashed, and throw ameal together, long past thehour.What ismore, theyareoverly fondofeatingandcompete toget the tastiestmorselsateachmeal.Ifthereisnotenoughofthebesttogoaround,theystealsometoeatlateronthesly.Their inconsiderate manners are displayed to all their neighbors, to the humiliation of theirparents‑in‑law.Talkedaboutbyeveryone,howcantheynotbeovercomewithshame!ServingOne’sParents‑in‑LawYourfather‑in‑lawandmother‑in‑lawaretheheadsofyourhusband’sfamily.…Youmustcareforthemasyourownfatherandmother.Respectfullyserveyourfather‑in‑law.Donotlookathimdirectly [whenhe speaks toyou],donot followhimaround, anddonot engagehim inconversation.Ifhehasanorderforyou,listenandobey.Whenyourmother‑in‑law is sitting, you should stand.When shegives anorder, you shouldcarryitoutrightaway.Riseearlyinthemorningandopenupthehousehold,butdon’tmakeanynoisethatwoulddisturbyourmother‑in‑law’ssleep.Sweepandmopthefloors,washandrinse the clothes.When yourmother‑in‑lawwakes up, present herwith her toiletry articles,withdrawwhile shebathesuntil shebeckonsyou.Greetherand thenwithdraw.Prepare teaand broth; set out spoons and chopsticks.As long known, the aged have poor teeth, so youshouldbeespeciallycarefulinthepreparationoffoodforthem,sothattheymightenjoytheiroldagewithallsortsofdelicacies,cookedinamannerthatallowsthemtobeeasilychewedandswallowed.Atnightbefore retiring,check tosee if theyarecomfortablysettled for thenight.Bidthemgoodnightandthengotobed.…

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ServingaHusbandWomen leave their families tomarry, and the husband is themaster of the household [theymarry into].…Thehusband is tobe firm, thewife soft; conjugal affections follow from this.Whileathome,thetwoofyoushouldtreateachotherwiththeformalityandreserveofaguest.Listen carefully to and obeywhatever your husband tells you. If he does somethingwrong,gentlycorrecthim.Don’tbelikethosewomenwhonotonlydonotcorrecttheirhusbandsbutactuallyleadthemintoindecentways.…Don’timitatethoseshrewishwiveswholovetoclashheadonwith theirhusbands all the time.Take careof yourhusband’s clothing so thathe isnevercoldinwinter,andofhismealssothathenevergetsthinandsicklyfromnotbeingfedenough.Asacouple,youandyourhusbandsharethebitterandthesweet,povertyandriches.Inlifeyousharethesamebed;indeaththesamegrave.…InstructingSonsandDaughtersMost all families have sons and daughters. As they grow and develop, there should be adefinitesequenceandorderintheireducation.Buttheauthority/responsibilitytoinstructthemrests solely with the mother. When the sons go out to school, they seek instruction from ateacherwhoteachesthemproper[ritual]formandetiquette,howtochantpoetry,howtowriteessays.…Daughters remainbehind in thewomen’squartersandshouldnotbeallowed togooutveryoften.…Teachthemsewing,cooking,andetiquette.…Don’tallowthemtobeindulged, lesttheythrowtantrumstogettheirownway;don’tallowthemtodefyauthority,lesttheybecomerudeandhaughty;don’tallowthemtosingsongs,lesttheybecomedissolute;anddon’tallowthemtogoonoutings,lestsomescandalspoiltheirgoodnames.Worthyofderisionare thosewhodon’t take chargeof their responsibility [in this area].Thesons of suchwomen remain illiterate, they poke fun at their elders, they get into fights anddrinktoomuch,andtheybecomeaddictedtosinginganddancing.…Thedaughtersof suchwomenknownothingaboutritualdecorum,speakinanoverbearingmanner,can’tdistinguishbetweenthehonorableandthemean,anddon’tknowhowtoserveorsew.Theybringshameontheirhonorablerelativesanddisgraceontheirfatherandmother.Motherswhofailtoraisetheirchildrencorrectlyareasiftheyhadraisedpigsandrats!ManagingtheHouseholdAwomanwhomanages the household should be thrifty and diligent. If she is diligent, thehousehold thrives; if lazy, it declines. If she is thrifty, the household becomes enriched; ifextravagant, it becomes impoverished. … If your husband has money and rice, store andconservethem.Ifhehaswineorfoodstuffs,saveandkeepthemfortheuseofguestswhentheycome;donottakeanytoindulgeyourowndesires.Greatwealthisamatteroffateandfortune;a littlewealth comes frompersistent thrift.…Thus a couplemaybeblessedwith riches andenjoylife.

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EntertainingGuestsMost families have guests. You should have hotwater and clean bottles, and keep the tablecleanandneat,readyforguests.Whenaguestarrives,servehimteaandthenretiretotherearofthehallandawaityourhusband’sordersaboutthemeal.…Don’tlearnthewaysofthelazywomanwhodoesn’tattendtohouseholdmattersanyway,sothatwhenaguestarrives, theplace is inamessandshe isunprepared toofferhimtea rightaway. She is so flustered that she loses herhead. If herhusbandasks theguest to stay for ameal,sheisannoyedandloseshertemper.Shehaschopsticksbutnosoupspoons,soysaucebutnovinegar.Shescoldsandslapstheservantsaround,toherhusband’sgreatchagrinandtheguest’sembarrassment.