男耕女織

Chinese

		male	to plough; to till	female; woman; daughter	weave
trad. (男耕女織)		男	耕	女	織
simp. (男耕女织)		男	耕	女	织

Etymology

Based on a passage in the Mozi:

• 飾車以文采，飾舟以刻鏤，女子廢其紡織而脩文采，故民寒。男子離其耕稼而脩刻鏤，故民饑。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

  ---

  饰车以文采，饰舟以刻镂，女子废其纺织而脩文采，故民寒。男子离其耕稼而脩刻镂，故民饥。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

  From: Mozi, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on Y. P. Mei's version

  Shì chē yǐ wéncǎi, shì zhōu yǐ kèlòu, nǚzǐ fèi qí fǎngzhī ér xiū wéncǎi, gù mín hán. Nánzǐ lí qí gēngjià ér xiū kèlòu, gù mín jī. [Pinyin]

  The carts are decorated with embroidery and boats with carving. Women have to stop weaving to do the embroidery so the people are left cold. While men have to abandon agriculture to do the carving and so the people become hungry.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): nángēngnǚzhī

  (Zhuyin): ㄋㄢˊ ㄍㄥ ㄋㄩˇ ㄓ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): naam⁴ gaang¹ neoi⁵ zik¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: nángēngnǚzhī
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄢˊ ㄍㄥ ㄋㄩˇ ㄓ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: nángengnyǔjhih
    • Wade–Giles: nan²-kêng¹-nü³-chih¹
    • Yale: nán-gēng-nyǔ-jr̄
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nangengneujy
    • Palladius: наньгэннюйчжи (nanʹgɛnnjujčži)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nän³⁵ kɤŋ⁵⁵ ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: naam⁴ gaang¹ neoi⁵ zik¹
    • Yale: nàahm gāang néuih jīk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: naam⁴ gaang¹ noey⁵ dzik⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: nam⁴ gang¹ nêu⁵ jig¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /naːm²¹ kaːŋ⁵⁵ nɵy̯¹³ t͡sɪk̚⁵/

Idiom

男耕女織

1. men farm and women weave (describing the division of labour within a peasant family in the past)

   • 男耕女織天下平，千古萬古無戰爭。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     男耕女织天下平，千古万古无战争。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 《過居庸關》 "Crossing Juyong Pass" by 薩都剌 Sa Dula, 14th century CE

     Nángēngnǚzhī tiānxià píng, qiāngǔ wàngǔ wú zhànzhēng. [Pinyin]

     Men farm and women weave; everywhere under Heaven is peaceful. For thousands and myriads of years, there shall be no war.