A daughter without virtue is a talent! What does this mean? What does virtue mean?

It means: a woman without talent is virtuous.

Virtue means: moral quality.

From: Zhang Dai [Ming], "Public Sacrifice to Lady Qi".

A virtuous husband is a talent, but a woman without talent is a virtue.

Interpretation: Women don't need to be talented, just obey their husbands.

This sentence should be quoted by Chen from the "elder" generation. Although this sentence was born in the late Ming Dynasty, it has long been deeply rooted. The traditional view of talent and morality is its soil. "Virtue is more important than talent" is the belief of China people, regardless of gender. In addition, China people have always advocated that men should take "virtue" as the foundation and value "talent" over "virtue", so there is a saying that "a man with virtue is a talent".

As for women, China people have always paid no attention to their talent, but to their "women's virtue", fearing that "talent will hinder morality", so there is a saying that "a woman without talent is a virtue". The so-called "talent" in a broad sense certainly includes all kinds of talents and wisdom. However, in the past, China women's life circle was narrow, and they could not show their "talent" better than poetry and songs, so "talent" often refers to "literary talent" in a narrow sense.

Extended data:

Li Yu's analysis of this sentence

Li Yu, a famous talent in the Qing Dynasty, once put forward his own opinion on this sentence: "A woman without talent is a virtue" is an angry remark, similar to being a tiger for a monarch. Some people warn future generations not to be officials because they are officials, while others encourage beautiful women to be illiterate because they are talented.

The ancients thought that women can be talented, but they can't show their talents, especially in front of their husbands, who should show their talents because they are positive. On the other hand, women are feminine. She is modest and virtuous, so she doesn't show her talent easily. She must look like a person without talent. That is her virtue. What's this called? This is called a woman's virtue, modesty.

Women's nature is like the earth, so what are the characteristics of the earth? We picked up a handful of dirt from the ground. Can you eat, drink and wear? Neither. Without any talent, the simplest thing is to hold the soil. Just like ancient women, they are unpretentious and know how to wash dishes, do housework, serve the elderly and teach children.

She seems to have no special skills or talents. But it is precisely this soil, the food we eat, the vegetables we wear, this is cotton, which grows from the ground.

What does this mean? She has no talent, but she can make her children, grandchildren and husband very talented. She can feed people and teach children. Although this land is unpretentious, it is the most talented pillar. The root cause is the virtue of great women. That's her nature.

Li Yu questioned all the above explanations: "I want to keep quiet, I want to be quiet and loud, and the answer is irrelevant. That is to say, when Li Yu wants to talk to his wife and concubine, she is silent, when he wants to be quiet, she is loud, and when chatting with her, she answers without asking for anything in return."

This is Li Yu lamenting that his concubines are full of people but have no cultural taste. How can a woman without talent teach her children? Li Yu believes that no matter what kind of statement, it is just an excuse for the real purpose of "women without talent are virtuous".