每天成语
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重男轻女

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: zhòng nán qīng nǚ
  • English Translation: Valuing men and belittling women (preference for sons over daughters)
  • Idiom Composition: 「重」（To value, to prioritize, or to regard as important）＋「男」（Male, man, or son）＋「轻」（To belittle, to slight, or to treat as unimportant）＋「女」（Female, woman, or daughter）
  • Meaning: A traditional mindset or social practice of prioritizing males (especially sons) while devaluing or neglecting females (especially daughters). In modern society, it is used critically to describe gender discrimination and outdated patriarchal values.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「重男轻女」 contains the following nuances:

  • Preference Within the Family: Beyond general social status, this term most frequently appears in the context of family dynamics, such as prioritizing a son's education or inheritance over a daughter's.
  • Critical Nuance: In modern Chinese, 重男轻女 (zhòng nán qīng nǚ) is a derogatory term. It is used to criticize backward, feudal, or unfair thinking rather than to describe a neutral preference.

3. Usage

「重男轻女」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Family and Relative Values: Used when parents or grandparents favor sons, expect a male heir to carry the family name, or provide better resources to male children.
    • Example:「虽然现在已经是新时代了，但他父母重男轻女的思想依然很严重。」
      （Even though it is a new era, his parents' preference for sons over daughters is still very serious.)
  • Workplace and Social Issues: Used to point out systemic gender discrimination, such as when men are favored in hiring, promotions, or social status.
    • Example:「这家公司在招聘时存在明显的重男轻女现象。」
      （This company has a clear bias in favor of men during recruitment.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 她从小生长在一个重男轻女的家庭，受了很多委屈。
    （She grew up in a family that favored boys over girls, and she suffered many grievances because of it.）
  2. 我们要摒弃重男轻女的陈旧观念，提倡男女平等。
    （We must discard the outdated notion of valuing men over women and promote gender equality.）
  3. 有些农村地区仍然保留着重男轻女的习俗。
    （Some rural areas still retain the custom of preferring sons over daughters.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Historical Background: In traditional Chinese patriarchal society, sons were essential for carrying on the family lineage and providing labor. This led to the cultural ideal of 多子多福 (duō zǐ duō fú), or 'more children (specifically sons) bring more blessings.'
  • Modern Context: While the 'One-Child Policy' (计划生育 - jì huà shēng yù) and urbanization have significantly shifted mindsets, these values can still be found in some rural areas or among older generations. This conflict is a frequent theme in modern Chinese TV dramas and literature.
  • Linguistic Note: While the term 重女轻男 (zhòng nǚ qīng nán) — favoring daughters over sons — is not a standard idiom, it is sometimes used jokingly today to describe parents who dote excessively on their daughters.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

重男轻女 (zhòng nán qīng nǚ) refers to the historical and cultural bias of favoring sons over daughters. While rooted in ancient patriarchal structures, it is now primarily used in a critical context to point out gender inequality within families or society. Understanding this term is essential for grasping social dynamics and historical gender roles in Chinese culture.

Idiom Essay

zhòng nán qīng nǚ
重男轻女
Favoring Males over Females
xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下，nǐ你de的xīn lǐ心里yǒu有yī jià一架tiān píng天平。

Imagine there is a scale in your heart.

tōng cháng通常qíng kuàng情况xià下，wǒ men我们xī wàng希望tā它shì是píng héng平衡de的。

Normally, we hope it remains balanced.

dàn但zài在mǒu xiē某些chuán tǒng传统de的guān niàn观念lǐ里，zhè这jià架tiān píng天平shēng lái生来jiù shì就是qīng xié倾斜de的。

However, in some traditional views, this scale is tilted from the very beginning.

yī biān一边fàng放zhe着“nán男”，yī biān一边fàng放zhe着“nǚ女”。

On one side is 男, and on the other is 女.

rén men人们xí guàn xìng习惯性dì地wǎng往“nán男”de的nà那yī biān一边jiā加fá mǎ砝码，bǎ把tā它kàn看dé得hěn很zhòng重；ér而“nǚ女”de的nà那yī biān一边，què却hǎo xiàng好像qīng piāo piāo轻飘飘de的，shèn zhì甚至bèi被hū lüè忽略。

People habitually add weights to the 男 side, treating it as very heavy, while the 女 side seems light as a feather or is even ignored.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语fēi cháng非常zhí guān直观dì地miáo huì描绘le了zhè zhǒng这种zhuàng tài状态，jiào叫“zhòng nán qīng nǚ重男轻女”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom that describes this state very intuitively: 重男轻女.

zhè ge这个cí词de的zì miàn字面yì si意思hěn很jiǎn dān简单，què却yě也hěn很chén zhòng沉重。

The literal meaning of this word is simple, yet very heavy.

“zhòng重”，zài在zhè lǐ这里bù不zhǐ shì只是zhòng liàng重量，ér shì而是“kàn zhòng看重”、“zhòng shì重视”；“qīng轻”，zé则shì是“qīng shì轻视”，huò zhě或者jué de觉得“wú zú qīng zhòng无足轻重”。

重 here does not just mean weight, but to value or prioritize; 轻 means to look down upon or consider insignificant.

hé qǐ lái合起来，jiù shì就是bǎ把nán xìng男性kàn看dé得bǐ比nǚ xìng女性gèng更zhòng yào重要、gèng更yǒu有jià zhí价值。

Combined, it means regarding males as more important and valuable than females.

zhè这bù jǐn jǐn不仅仅shì是yí gè一个xiě写zài在shū běn书本lǐ里de的lì shǐ历史cí huì词汇。

This is not just a historical term written in books.

suī rán虽然xiàn zài现在de的shè huì社会yǐ jīng已经gǎi biàn改变le了hěn很duō多，dàn但nǐ你ǒu ěr偶尔hái shì还是néng能gǎn jué dào感觉到tā它de的yǐng zi影子。

Although society has changed a lot, you can still occasionally feel its shadow.

yě xǔ也许shì是zài在yí gè一个jiā tíng家庭lǐ里，suǒ yǒu所有de的qī dài期待hé和zuì hǎo最好de的zī yuán资源dōu都gěi给le了gē gē哥哥huò或dì di弟弟，ér而jiě jiě姐姐mèi mèi妹妹de的xū qiú需求zǒng shì总是bèi被pái排zài在hòu miàn后面；yě xǔ也许shì是tīng dào听到lǎo yī bèi老一辈rén人kàn看zhe着gāng刚chū shēng出生de的yīng ér婴儿，tàn叹zhe着qì气shuō说：“kě xī可惜bú shì不是gè个nán hái男孩。”

Perhaps in a family, all expectations and the best resources are given to an older or younger brother, while the needs of sisters are always put last; or perhaps you hear an elder sighing at a newborn baby, saying, "What a pity it's not a boy."

zài在zhè xiē这些shí kè时刻，nǐ你gǎn shòu感受dào到de的nà zhǒng那种bù shū fú不舒服、bù不gōng píng公平de的chā bié差别duì dài对待，jiù shì就是“zhòng nán qīng nǚ重男轻女”。

In these moments, the uncomfortable and unfair differential treatment you feel is 重男轻女.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们，yǔ yán语言wǎng wǎng往往jì lù记录le了rén lèi人类zǒu guò走过de的lù路——nǎ pà哪怕shì是wān lù弯路。

This idiom reminds us that language often records the paths humans have walked—even the wrong ones.

tā它ràng让wǒ men我们kàn dào看到，guò qù过去de的rén men人们shì是rú hé如何fēn pèi分配“jià zhí价值”de的。

It allows us to see how people in the past distributed value.

ér而jīn tiān今天wǒ men我们tí dào提到tā它，qí shí其实shì是wèi le为了fǎn sī反思。

When we mention it today, it is actually for reflection.

yīn wèi因为zhēn zhèng真正de的zūn zhòng尊重，bù不yīng gāi应该yǒu有“qīng轻”hé和“zhòng重”de的qū bié区别。

Because true respect should not have a distinction between 轻 and 重.

wú lùn无论nán nǚ男女，měi每yí gè一个shēng mìng生命fàng放zài在tiān píng天平shàng上，fèn liàng分量dōu都yīng gāi应该shì是xiāng děng相等de的。

Regardless of gender, every life placed on the scale should have equal weight.

xià cì下次dāng当nǐ你tīng dào听到zhè ge这个cí词，huò zhě或者zài在shēng huó生活zhōng中gǎn shòu感受dào到zhè zhǒng这种wēi miào微妙de的bù不píng héng平衡shí时，nǐ你kě yǐ可以qīng chǔ清楚dì地yì shí dào意识到：zhè这jiù shì就是“zhòng nán qīng nǚ重男轻女”，ér而wǒ men我们，zhèng zài正在nǔ lì努力ràng让tiān píng天平huī fù恢复píng héng平衡。

Next time you hear this word or feel this subtle imbalance in life, you can clearly realize: this is 重男轻女, and we are working hard to restore balance to the scale.

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