Four Beauties

Four Beauties
Chinese 四大美女
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese 四大美人

The Four Beauties or Four Great Beauties are four ancient Chinese women, renowned for their beauty. The scarcity of historical records concerning them meant that much of what is known of them today has been greatly embellished by legend. They gained their reputation from the influence they exercised over kings and emperors and consequently, the way their actions impacted Chinese history. Three of the Four Beauties brought kingdoms to their knees and their lives ended in tragedy.

The Beauties

The Four Great Beauties lived in four different dynasties, each hundreds of years apart. In chronological order, they are:

Idiom

A well known idiom describes the four beauties.[4] The exact origin of this idiom is debated.

Chinese character Pinyin Jyutping Pe̍h-ōe-jī English
西施沉魚
昭君落雁
貂蟬閉月
貴妃羞花
xī shī chén yú
zhāo jūn luò yàn
diāo chán bì yuè
guì fēi xiū huā
sai1 si1 cam4 jyu4
ciu1 gwan1 lok6 ngaan6
diu1 sim4 bai3 jyut6
gwai3 fei1 sau1 faa1
Se Si tîm gû
Chiau-kun lo̍k gān
Tiau Siâm pì goa̍t
Kùi-hui siu hoa
Xi Shi sinks fish
Wang Zhaojun entice birds into falling
Diaochan eclipses the moon
Yang Guifei shames flowers

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Four Great Beauties.
  1. Big5.ce.cn. "Big5.ce.cn." 西施浣紗——沉魚. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  2. Big5.ce.cn. "Big5.ce.cn." 昭君出塞——落雁. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  3. Big5.ce.cn. "Big5.ce.cn." 貂蟬拜月——閉月. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  4. Xinhuanet.com. "Xinhuanet.com." 纪连海叹说四大美人 . Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
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