从一而终 cóng yī ér zhōng to remain faithful to one

Explanation

指女子一生只嫁一个丈夫；也指人始终忠于一人或一事。

Refers to a woman who marries only one husband; also refers to someone who remains loyal to one person or one thing throughout their life.

Origin Story

在古代中国，女子嫁人后，就意味着要对丈夫忠贞不二，一生一世只侍奉一个丈夫，这是封建社会对女性的道德要求。故事讲述一位名叫阿梅的女子，自幼家境贫寒，但她勤劳善良，心灵手巧。十六岁那年，她嫁给了邻村一位老实巴交的农家子弟李强。婚后，阿梅对李强百般呵护，两人相敬如宾，日子虽然清贫，却也过得温馨甜蜜。后来，李强因病去世，阿梅悲痛欲绝，但她始终遵守着从一而终的誓言，没有改嫁，独自一人抚养他们的孩子长大成人。她的坚贞不渝，在当地传为佳话，成为人们学习的榜样。

zài gǔdài zhōngguó，nǚzǐ jià rén hòu，jiù yìwèizhe yào duì zhàngfu zhōngzhēn bù'ér，yīshēng yīshì zhǐ shìfèng yīgè zhàngfu，zhè shì fēngjiàn shèhuì duì nǚxìng de dàodé yāoqiú。gùshì jiǎngshù yī wèi míng jiào āméi de nǚzǐ，zì yòu jiā jìng pín hàn，dàn tā qínláo shànliáng，xīnlíng shǒu qiǎo。shíliù suì nà nián，tā jià gěile líncūn yī wèi lǎoshí bājiāo de nóngjiā zǐdì lǐ qiáng。hūnhòu，āméi duì lǐ qiáng bǎibān hēhù，liǎng rén xiāng jìng rú bīn，rìzi suīrán qīngpín，què yě guò de wēnxīn tiánmì。hòulái，lǐ qiáng yīn bìng qùshì，āméi bēitòng yùjué，dàn tā shǐzhōng zūnshǒu zhe cóng yī ér zhōng de shìyán，méiyǒu gǎijià，dúzì yī rén fǔyǎng tāmen de háizi zhǎng dà chéngrén。tā de jiānzhēn bùyú，zài dàngxī chuán wèi jiāhuà，chéngwéi rénmen xuéxí de bǎngyàng。

In ancient China, when a woman married, it meant that she had to be faithful to her husband, serving only one husband for the rest of her life. This was a moral requirement of the feudal society for women. The story tells of a woman named Amei, who came from a poor family. But she was diligent, kind, and clever. At the age of sixteen, she married Li Qiang, a simple farmer from the neighboring village. After marriage, Amei cared for Li Qiang very much, and they lived in harmony. Although their life was poor, it was warm and sweet. Later, Li Qiang passed away from illness. Amei was grief-stricken. However, she always kept her vow, and she never remarried and raised their children alone until they grew up. Her steadfastness became a good story in the local area, setting an example for people to follow.

Usage

用于赞扬女子对丈夫的忠贞或对事业的忠诚。

yòng yú zànyáng nǚzǐ duì zhàngfu de zhōngzhēn huò duì shìyè de zhōngchéng。

Used to praise a woman's faithfulness to her husband or loyalty to a cause.

Examples

• 她从一而终地侍奉着她的丈夫。

  tā cóng yī ér zhōng de shìfèngzhe tā de zhàngfu。

  She served her husband faithfully until her death.

• 他一生忠于职守，从一而终地为人民服务。

  tā yīshēng zhōngyú zhíshǒu，cóng yī ér zhōng de wèi rénmín fúwù。

  He dedicated his life to public service, serving the people with unwavering loyalty.

Related Idioms

• 贞节

• 忠诚

Opposite Idioms

• 三心二意

• 见异思迁