列女傳

by Xiang Liu

"列女傳" by Liu Xiang is a biographical compilation created around 18 BCE. This influential work presents 125 accounts of exemplary women from ancient Chinese history, drawn from early historical texts. Organized into eight scrolls, it features empresses, mothers, scholars, and warriors whose stories illustrate Confucian virtues. From Meng Mu, who raised her son Mencius through poverty, to warriors who defended their honor, these idealized biographies shaped Chinese moral education for women across two millennia, establishing enduring standards of feminine virtue in traditional society.