女诫

《女诫》是东汉班昭写作的一篇教导班家女性做人道理的私书，包括卑弱、夫妇、敬慎、妇行、专心、曲从和叔妹七章。由于班昭行止庄正，文采飞扬，此文后来被争相传抄而风行当时。

为女四书（《女诫》、后明代仁孝文皇后所作的《内训》、唐代宋若昭所作的《女论语》及《女范捷录》）之首，是民国初期及以前几乎所有读书的女孩子的启蒙读物。

《女诫》主要大意演变为十二字箴言：“在家从父、既嫁从夫、夫死从子”的“三从”，和“四德”的“妇德、妇容、妇言、妇功”。

Lessons for Women (Chinese: 女誡), also translated as Admonitions for Women, Women's Precepts, or Warnings for Women, is a work by the Han dynasty female intellectual Ban Zhao (45/49–117/120 CE). As one of the Four Books for Women, Lessons had wide circulation in the late Ming and Qing dynasties (i.e. 16th–early 20th centuries). Ban Zhao made the "Admonitions for Women" for her daughters.

Outline

Lessons outlines the four virtues a woman must abide by, proper virtue, proper speech, proper countenance, and proper conduct. The book itself describes the status and position of women in society. It is a small book and many women had the sections memorized. The book contains only 7 chapters as outlined below.

Precepts for Women

Ban Zhao also wrote on the four desired "Precepts for Women" which were intended to guide women in society. These precepts were: womanly virtue, womanly speech, womanly manner, and womanly merit.

"There are four edifying behavioural characteristics for women: the first is womanly virtue (fude), the second is womanly speech (fuyan), the third is womanly manner (fuyong), and the fourth is womanly merit (fugong). What is womanly virtue? She does not distinguish herself in talent and intelligence. What is womanly speech? She does not sharpen her language and speech. What is womanly manner? She does not seek to be outwardly beautiful or ornamented. What is womanly merit? She does not outperform others in her skills and cleverness."