男女授受不亲 nán nǚ shòu shòu bù qīn Men and women should not have direct physical contact

Explanation

指封建礼教规定男女之间不能直接接触、言谈或授受物件，限制男女交往。体现了古代社会男尊女卑的等级观念和对女性行为的严格约束。

Refers to the rules of feudal moral codes that prohibit direct contact, conversation, or the exchange of objects between men and women, restricting interaction between the sexes. It reflects the hierarchical ideology of "men over women" and the strict constraints on women's behavior in ancient society.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有一位才貌双全的大家闺秀名叫翠儿。她自小深受家族传统观念的影响，谨遵“男女授受不亲”的古训。即使是同村的伙伴，她也保持着一定的距离，从不轻易接受他们的馈赠。一日，一位远道而来的书生在村口迷了路，翠儿好心将他带回自家，书生拿出一个精致的木盒作为谢礼，翠儿却坚定地婉拒了，并解释说这是家族的规矩。书生十分惊讶，他从未见过如此守礼的女子，内心对翠儿肃然起敬。翠儿不仅守礼，待人接物也十分周到。她以温婉的气质与书生攀谈，两人如同知己，在谈话中，书生对翠儿的才情更是钦佩不已。这次的相遇，也让书生对“男女授受不亲”有了新的理解，他明白了，这不仅仅是礼节的约束，更是对女性的一种尊重和保护，对女性高尚品德的维护。

huà shuō Táng cháo shíqī, yǒu yī wèi cái mào shuāng quán de dà jiā guīxiù míng jiào Cuì'ér. Tā zì xiǎo shēn shòu jiāzú chuántǒng guānniàn de yǐngxiǎng, jǐn zūn “nán nǚ shòu shòu bù qīn” de gǔ xùn. Jǐshǐ shì tóng cūn de huǒbàn, tā yě bǎochí zhe yīdìng de jùlí, cóng bù qīngyì jiēshòu tāmen de kuìzèng. Yī rì, yī wèi yuǎndào ér lái de shūshēng zài cūn kǒu mí le lù, Cuì'ér hǎoxīn jiāng tā dài huí zìjiā, shūshēng ná chū yīgè jīngzhì de mù hé zuòwéi xiè lǐ, Cuì'ér què jiāndiàn de wǎn jù le, bìng jiěshì shuō zhè shì jiāzú de guīju。Shūshēng shífēn jīngyà, tā cóng wèi jiàn guò cǐ cū shǒulǐ de nǚzi, nèixīn duì Cuì'ér sùrán qǐ jìng. Cuì'ér bù jǐn shǒulǐ, dài rén jiēwù yě shífēn zhōudào. Tā yǐ wēnwǎn de qìzhì yǔ shūshēng pāntán, liǎng rén rútóng zhījǐ, zài tán huà zhōng, shūshēng duì Cuì'ér de cáiqíng gèng shì qīnpèi bù yǐ. zhè cì de xiāngyù, yě ràng shūshēng duì “nán nǚ shòu shòu bù qīn” yǒu le xīn de lǐjiě, tā míngbái le, zhè bù jǐn shì lǐjié de yuēshù, gèng shì duì nǚxìng de yī zhǒng zūnjìng hé bǎohù, duì nǚxìng gāoshàng píndé de wéihù.

During the Tang Dynasty, there lived a talented and beautiful young lady named Cui'er. From a young age, she was deeply influenced by her family's traditional values and strictly adhered to the ancient precept of "men and women should not have direct physical contact." Even with her fellow villagers, she maintained a certain distance, never readily accepting gifts from them. One day, a scholar from afar lost his way at the village entrance. Cui'er kindly brought him back to her home. The scholar offered her an exquisite wooden box as a token of gratitude, but Cui'er firmly refused, explaining that it was her family's custom. The scholar was quite surprised; he had never encountered such a virtuous maiden, and he felt a profound respect for Cui'er. Cui'er wasn't just virtuous but also very considerate in her interactions with others. She engaged in a conversation with the scholar using gentle language, the two becoming quite close. The scholar grew to admire Cui'er's talent even more during their conversation. This meeting gave the scholar a new understanding of the principle of "men and women not having direct physical contact." He realized that it wasn't merely a matter of etiquette but also a sign of respect, protection and preservation of women's high moral character.

Usage

主要用于形容古代社会男女交往的严格限制，现在也用来指男女之间保持适当的距离，避免不必要的误会。

zhǔyào yòng yú xiáoróng gǔdài shèhuì nán nǚ jiāowǎng de yánggé xiànzhì, xiànzài yě yòng lái zhǐ nán nǚ zhī jiān bǎochí shìdàng de jùlí, bìmiǎn bù bìyào de wùhuì.

Mainly used to describe the strict restrictions on the interaction between men and women in ancient society, it is now also used to refer to men and women keeping a proper distance to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

Examples

• 古代社会，男女授受不亲，女子大门不出，二门不迈。

  gudai shehui, nan nü shòu shòu bu qīn, nǚ zi dà mén bù chū, èr mén bù mài.

  In ancient society, men and women did not interact closely, women seldom went out.

• 在封建社会，男女授受不亲是重要的礼仪规范。

  zài fēngjiàn shèhuì, nán nǚ shòu shòu bù qīn shì zhòngyào de lǐyí guīfàn.

  In feudal society, the separation of men and women was an important social norm.

• 如今社会风气开放，男女授受不亲的观念已逐渐淡化。

  rújīn shèhuì fēngqì kāifàng, nán nǚ shòu shòu bù qīn de guānniàn yǐ zhújiàn dàn huà。

  In today's more open society, the concept of separation between men and women has gradually faded away.

Related Idioms

• 男女有别

• 礼仪规范

• 封建礼教

Opposite Idioms

• 男欢女爱

• 亲密无间