Soft hands, frozen skin, collar like a salamander, teeth like a rhinoceros, a cicada's head like a moth, a smart smile and beautiful eyes. A chivalrous man is soft-hearted, closed-minded, shy of rhetoric, clean as jade, considerate as jade in eyebrows, white as snow in muscles and plain in waist. Beautiful eyes, good hope, support, magnificent and elegant, quiet and carefree, gentle and affectionate, charming language.

The standard of ancient beauty in China

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The standard of ancient beauty in China is based on the aesthetic concept of the Chinese nation and characterized by the physiological characteristics of women in China. This is because women in China are relatively petite, and their external physiological characteristics are not as prominent as those in the West. They are black and straight, their facial contours are mild and harmonious, their eyes are black or brown, their skin is delicate and yellowish, and their overall curves are soft and symmetrical.

The aesthetic concept of China's ancient female images has been described in the works of scholars in past dynasties. Qu Yuan's "Songs of the South" vividly describes the face of beauty from the aesthetic point of view. In Zhao Da, there are "Emei Manzhi" and "tolerance, beauty and elegance". Descriptions of "beautiful waist and narrow neck" and "meaty and bony".

Song Yu wrote in "The Loser": "The eyebrows are like jade feathers, the muscles are like snow, the waist is like a bundle, and the teeth are like shells."

He wrote in Goddess Fu:

The appearance is rich and graceful, the buds are moist, and the eyes are exquisite and beautiful. Eyebrows are connected with moths, and lips are like Dan.

Cao Zhi wrote in Luo Shenfu:

It is graceful and graceful, with dragons, Rongyao, Qiuju and Huamao Song Chun. As if a light cloud covered the moon; Fluttering like a snow. From a distance, if the sun rises in the morning glow, it will be forced to observe, and if it burns, it will emit green waves.

Then, "Close-up" specifically depicts the beauty of Luo Shen's figure and appearance:

Be careful to shorten the fit; If the shoulders are cut, the waist is like a vegetable; The neck is stretched to look good and the quality is exposed; Fang Ze does not add, lead is rich; Clouds, eyebrows and hearts are one; Red lips are bright outside and white teeth are fresh inside; Bright eyes and good hope pave the way for strength; The ring is free and easy, and the device is quiet and leisurely; Tender as water, charming language.

Japanese scholar Taji Wasteland summed up the main conditions of beauty in China ancient people's minds on the basis of ancient books such as The Book of Songs, Songs of the South, Warring States Policy, Liezi, Huainanzi and Selected Works. Young, slim, plump, with shaved shoulders, fair and delicate skin, thick eyebrows and bright moon, long ears drooping, rhinoplasty, red lips, Vert-like teeth, thick black hair, etc.

The content of China people's aesthetic concept of beauty is different from generation to generation.

The images of beautiful women in the Tang Dynasty, except Wanli Wen Ya, all emphasized fullness and bodybuilding.

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After the Song Dynasty, the masculine beauty in the prosperous Tang Dynasty gave way to the feminine beauty in the Song Dynasty. Open-minded mind is replaced by sad and angry heart; The rich beauty of plump figure and elegant appearance gives way to exquisite beauty. The morbid beauty of women is becoming a model of female beauty. In The West Chamber, Cui Yingying is "pale pear face, light waist", "jade skirt embroidered with golden lotus, red sleeve knotted with jade bamboo shoots" and "waist is soft and graceful, like weeping willows before the evening breeze." Lin Daiyu in "A Dream of Red Mansions" is "Wen Jing shines like a beautiful splash, just like a weak willow."

Since the Ming Dynasty, people began to pay attention to the complete beauty of women's bodies. Ye Xiaoluan, a talented woman in Ming Dynasty, wrote "Gorgeous Body and Julian", which chanted about women's hair, waist, feet and whole body respectively. Ye Xiaoluan's mother, Shen Yixiu, wrote Julian, which not only praised women's eyebrows, eyes, lips and hands, but also made women's physical beauty more complete. The beauty of women's hair, waist and feet recited by Ye Xiaoluan is the most important part for the literati to appreciate the beauty of women's body during the foot-binding period in Ming Dynasty. If the head, waist and feet are beautiful, the overall image of women must be beautiful. Black long hair, soft and slender waist, slender and narrow feet constitute the standard thin beauty of the Ming Dynasty. Ye Xiaoluan pays special attention to the beauty of women's overall image;

Gai Wenying fell into the pool, picturesque. Step to the curtain, spring surprises flowers. Therefore, beautiful colors are delicious and cannot be decorated with lead; You can't put on makeup when you are sad. Therefore, I feel dizzy, smile, plum blossoms float out, and my hair is gorgeous.

Beautiful woman, the whole body has the overall beauty, her beauty can not be dressed up by powder and lead, but a kind of "natural carving" natural beauty; Beautiful posture, flowery cheeks and gentle smile constitute the beauty of the whole, just as the beauty of plum blossom is the beauty of five petals; More importantly, the beauty of a woman comes from excellent internal quality and cultivation, and from inner beauty.

As a woman, Ye Xiaoluan, with outstanding appearance and talent, made great progress in her concept of female beauty compared with the literati at that time. She does not look at female beauty from the perspective of watching and playing with women, but regards female beauty as a perfect image of objective and harmonious overall beauty, in which natural beauty is consistent with inner beauty. This is commendable.

Yue Rong Bian (also known as Yuan Yang Pu) was written by Wei Yong in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. It is a rare and good article about female beauty. It is divided into thirteen parts: following fate, starting from the Yuan Dynasty, choosing servants, offering elegantly, Bo Gu, being realistic, meeting the times, loving, borrowing money, realizing seclusion and being broad-minded.

This paper discusses the choice of beauty, beautiful living environment, indoor furnishings, indoor paintings and books of educated women, and beautiful decoration and makeup. In particular, the description of various modes of beauty is incisive.

Wei Yong believes that there is no absolute and rigid standard for women's beauty and ugliness, which is people's subjective feeling. He said: "Generally speaking, women are ugly, but people please them and they are willing to accept it, and everyone enjoys the land." The beauty and ugliness of women lies only in men's subjective hobbies. If someone likes her, her looks will become beautiful in the eyes of those who like her, and everyone will follow suit and say that this woman is outstanding. The so-called "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".