The origin of the famous saying "A woman's lack of talent is virtue", according to the research of Hong Kong scholar Professor Liu Yongchong, should have been in the works of the Ming Dynasty. Mainly believed to be the words of Chen Jiru (Mei Gong) of the Ming Dynasty: "A woman who is literate and able to understand the true meaning is definitely a virtuous person, but it is rare; others like to read novels in operas, stir up evil intentions, and even dance with them. If you don't do anything scandalous, it's better to be ignorant and stay humble. Chen Meigong said: "It is a virtue for a woman to have no talent."

Professor Liu pointed out that the reason is. The sentence is "If a man has virtue, he is talented; if a woman has no talent, she is virtue." Strictly speaking, it was not said by Chen Jiru himself, but was included in Chen's book "The Words of the Elder Ande". Therefore, Chen should have quoted what the "elders" said.

Professor Liu further pointed out that although this sentence was only born in the late Ming Dynasty, it has already been rooted. The traditional concept of talent and morality is its soil. "Morality is more important than talent" has always been the belief of the Chinese people, regardless of gender. In addition, the Chinese always advocate that men should be based on "virtue" and would rather give up "talent" in favor of "virtue". Therefore, it is said that "a man with virtue is a man of talent." As for women, the Chinese have never valued their talents and learning. Instead, they value their "feminine virtues." However, they are deeply afraid that "talents can hinder virtues." Therefore, there is a saying that "a woman's lack of talents is a virtue." The so-called "talent" in a broad sense certainly includes talents and wisdom in all aspects. However, because Chinese women's life circle was relatively narrow in the past, there was no better way to show their "talent" than poetry and poetry. Therefore, "talent" is often used in a narrow sense. Refers to "literary talent".

So, Professor Liu believes that instead of simply using a modern perspective and regarding the saying that "a woman's lack of talent is a virtue" as underestimating and stifling women's intelligence, it is better to look at it from the perspective of cultural significance and social background. Research. However, since the Qing Dynasty, because more women were literate and able to write than before, discussions began to take place on the issues of women’s “talent” and “morality”. This is also the prelude to women’s struggle for rights in modern China.