There is a saying in an ancient Chinese saying: "It is better to marry a good girl than a poor wife." This sentence has been circulated for thousands of years and many people firmly believe it. So, what is mentioned in it " What kind of women do "good girls" and "off-the-wall wives" refer to respectively? Why did ancient Chinese people discriminate against "wives who crossed the wall" so much?

"Conforming Women" and "Conforming Women", as the name suggests, are women who were originally engaged in some bad occupations and later reformed.

The women in brothels in ancient China generally had humble status: some were slaves themselves, some were family members of criminals, some were trafficked to brothels when they were children, and some simply could not survive at home.

Therefore, although many of them are in the prostitution, they are forced to do so. If given the choice, many of them would be willing to be women of good families. What's more, in ancient China, higher-end brothels had requirements for the women inside.

In addition to good looks, they must be able to play music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and be good at playing, playing and singing. This is also what they have to do in order to survive better. Liu Rushi, Bian Yujing, Li Xiangjun, Chen Yuanyuan, Dong Xiaowan, Gu Hengbo, Ma Xianglan... all of them are pink and pretty beauties with widespread reputations.

However, as everyone knows, such women mostly rely on their youthful bodies and beautiful faces, and these will not be permanent. Bai Juyi's "Pipa Play" profoundly reveals their living conditions after they age and lose sex - "This year's laughter will return to next year's, the autumn moon and spring breeze are leisurely spent", "There are few horses and horses in front of the door, and the eldest daughter is married to a merchant's wife". When you reach a certain age, even a brothel girl still hopes to have a home and someone to rely on. This is what is called "being good". The "capital girl" in "The Legend of Pipa" is such a "virtuous girl". The same is true for Liu Rushi to Qian Qianyi, Chen Yuanyuan to Wu Sangui, Li Xiangjun to Hou Fangyu, Dong Xiaowan to Mao Pijiang, etc.

The word "Guoqiang Wife" and "Crossing the Wall" also come from a well-known seven-character quatrain: "You should pity the clogs with green moss on their teeth, and the small buckle of the firewood leaf will not open for a long time. The garden is full of spring scenery and cannot be closed. , a branch of red apricot came out of the wall."

This is the famous poem "Visiting the Garden Is Not Worth It" by the Song Dynasty poet Ye Shaoweng. This was originally a lyrical poem that imitated the scenery, but the last two sentences are still popular. In the process, it has an extended meaning, which is a metaphor for a woman's cheating in marriage, just like the cheating red apricot in the poem.