zhòng nán qīng nǚ: 重男轻女 - To Value Boys Over Girls; Son Preference

• Keywords: zhòng nán qīng nǚ, 重男轻女, value boys over girls, son preference, gender inequality China, prefer sons to daughters, patriarchal society, Confucian values, Chinese sexism, Chinese social issues.
• Summary: An essential term for understanding Chinese society, 重男轻女 (zhòng nán qīng nǚ) describes the traditional cultural ideology that values boys over girls. This deep-seated son preference has historical roots in Confucianism and agrarian life, where sons were needed to carry on the family name and provide for aging parents. While officially challenged today, the concept of 重男轻女 still influences family dynamics, social norms, and has contributed to significant demographic issues in modern China, such as the gender imbalance.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): zhòng nán qīng nǚ
• Part of Speech: Chengyu (Idiom) / Verb Phrase
• HSK Level: HSK 6
• Concise Definition: To regard men as important and women as insignificant; to value sons over daughters.
• In a Nutshell: Literally translating to “heavy male, light female,” this four-character idiom perfectly captures a traditional mindset where sons are considered more valuable to a family than daughters. This isn't just about general sexism; it's a specific, family-centric preference rooted in the belief that only sons can continue the ancestral line, inherit property, and fulfill the duties of filial piety.

• 重 (zhòng): heavy; important; to value or place importance on.
• 男 (nán): male; man; son.
• 轻 (qīng): light; insignificant; to look down upon or treat as less important.
• 女 (nǚ): female; woman; daughter.

The characters create a direct and powerful parallel: value the male (重男) and devalue the female (轻女). The structure itself reflects the imbalance it describes.

The concept of 重男轻女 is one of the most significant pillars of traditional Chinese social structure. Its roots are primarily in:

• Confucianism & Ancestry: The Confucian emphasis on continuing the patrilineal family line (传宗接代, chuán zōng jiē dài) meant a son was a biological and spiritual necessity. Only sons could perform ancestral worship rites, ensuring the family's legacy and the ancestors' peace in the afterlife.
• Agrarian Economy: In a rural, agricultural society, male physical strength was seen as more valuable for farm labor. Sons stayed with the family, adding to its workforce, while daughters were expected to marry into another family. This is summed up by the old saying, “A married daughter is like splashed water” (嫁出去的女儿泼出去的水, jià chūqù de nǚ'ér pō chūqù de shuǐ) – once she's gone, she's gone.
• Filial Piety (孝): Traditionally, the responsibility of caring for elderly parents fell squarely on the sons and their wives. A family without a son faced the prospect of a lonely and unsupported old age.

Compared to the Western concept of “patriarchy” or “sexism,” 重男轻女 is more specific and visceral. While “patriarchy” can describe a systemic power structure in government or business, 重男轻女 describes a preference that begins at birth, shaping the very core of family life, resource allocation, and emotional investment in a child. It's less about a “glass ceiling” and more about the perceived value of a child from day one.

Today, 重男轻女 is almost always used with a strong negative connotation. It is a term of criticism, not a value to be proud of.

• Conversation: People use it to describe the old-fashioned thinking of their parents or grandparents, or to complain about unfair treatment within a family.
• Social Commentary: In media and online discussions, it is used to analyze social problems like the skewed gender ratio (a direct consequence of son preference during the One-Child Policy), the plight of “leftover women” (剩女), and cases of discrimination against women in employment or inheritance.
• Changing Attitudes: In urban, educated circles, the idea is largely rejected. The rising economic independence of women and the immense cost of raising a child in the city have made daughters increasingly desirable. However, the attitude can still be found, particularly in more rural or traditional regions.

• Example 1:
  • 很多老一辈的人还有重男轻女的思想。
  • Pinyin: Hěn duō lǎo yī bèi de rén hái yǒu zhòng nán qīng nǚ de sīxiǎng.
  • English: Many people from the older generation still have the mindset of valuing boys over girls.
  • Analysis: This is a very common way to use the term, attributing it to a specific group (older people) as a “思想” (sīxiǎng) or way of thinking.
• Example 2:
  • 都什么年代了，你可不能有重男轻女的观念啊！
  • Pinyin: Dōu shénme niándài le, nǐ kě bù néng yǒu zhòng nán qīng nǚ de guānniàn a!
  • English: What era is this? You can't have such a son-preferring concept!
  • Analysis: Here, it's used as a direct criticism or piece of advice. The phrase “都什么年代了” (what era is this?) emphasizes that this idea is outdated.
• Example 3:
  • 由于重男轻女的传统，中国面临着严重的性别比例失衡问题。
  • Pinyin: Yóuyú zhòng nán qīng nǚ de chuántǒng, Zhōngguó miànlínzhe yánzhòng de xìngbié bǐlì shīhéng wèntí.
  • English: Due to the tradition of son preference, China is facing a serious problem of gender imbalance.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates its use in a formal, analytical context, linking the cultural concept to a modern-day social issue.
• Example 4:
  • 他嘴上说男女平等，但行动上处处都重男轻女。
  • Pinyin: Tā zuǐ shàng shuō nán nǚ píngděng, dàn xíngdòng shàng chùchù dōu zhòng nán qīng nǚ.
  • English: He pays lip service to gender equality, but in his actions, he values men over women in every way.
  • Analysis: This shows how the term can be used as a verb phrase to describe someone's actions and expose their hypocrisy.
• Example 5:
  • 我父母一点也不重男轻女，他们对我比对我哥还好。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ fùmǔ yīdiǎn yě bù zhòng nán qīng nǚ, tāmen duì wǒ bǐ duì wǒ gē hái hǎo.
  • English: My parents don't value boys over girls at all; they treat me even better than my older brother.
  • Analysis: This is a negative sentence, used to deny the existence of this attitude. It shows how the younger generation is proud of moving past this tradition.
• Example 6:
  • 在我们村，重男轻女的现象依然很普遍。
  • Pinyin: Zài wǒmen cūn, zhòng nán qīng nǚ de xiànxiàng yīrán hěn pǔbiàn.
  • English: In our village, the phenomenon of preferring sons is still very common.
  • Analysis: This sentence highlights the urban-rural divide in attitudes. “现象” (xiànxiàng) means “phenomenon.”
• Example 7:
  • 这家公司在提拔员工时，似乎有点重男轻女。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiā gōngsī zài tíbá yuángōng shí, sìhū yǒudiǎn zhòng nán qīng nǚ.
  • English: When promoting employees, this company seems to be a bit biased towards men.
  • Analysis: This applies the concept outside the family to a workplace setting, showing its broader use for gender discrimination.
• Example 8:
  • 她努力工作就是为了向重男轻女的家人证明自己。
  • Pinyin: Tā nǔlì gōngzuò jiùshì wèile xiàng zhòng nán qīng nǚ de jiārén zhèngmíng zìjǐ.
  • English: She works hard precisely to prove herself to her family that values sons over daughters.
  • Analysis: This sentence illustrates the personal, psychological impact of this attitude on women.
• Example 9:
  • 为了生个儿子，他们家承受了巨大的压力，这都是重男轻女害的。
  • Pinyin: Wèile shēng ge érzi, tāmen jiā chéngshòule jùdà de yālì, zhè dōu shì zhòng nán qīng nǚ hài de.
  • English: Their family was under immense pressure to have a son; this is all the fault of son preference culture.
  • Analysis: This highlights how the pressure to have a son affects the entire family, not just the women. “害的” (hài de) means “caused by” or “the fault of.”
• Example 10:
  • 改变重男轻女的旧观念需要几代人的努力。
  • Pinyin: Gǎibiàn zhòng nán qīng nǚ de jiù guānniàn xūyào jǐ dài rén de nǔlì.
  • English: Changing the old concept of valuing boys over girls will require the effort of several generations.
  • Analysis: This is a forward-looking statement, acknowledging both the deep-rooted nature of the problem and the hope for change.

• Not just “sexism”: A common mistake is to equate 重男轻女 directly with the English word “sexism.” While it is a form of sexism, it's highly specific. It refers to the *hierarchical valuation within a family line*. It's about a son's role vs. a daughter's role, not necessarily about a man's general competence vs. a woman's.
• “False Friend” - 大男子主义 (dà nánzǐ zhǔyì): This term translates to “male chauvinism.” The two are related but distinct.
  • 重男轻女 is a societal or familial belief about the *value of offspring* for continuing the lineage. A woman (e.g., a grandmother) can be the strongest proponent of this belief in a family.
  • 大男子主义 is a personal attitude of a man who feels he is superior, should be in charge, and that women should be subservient to him. It's about gender roles in a relationship or society at large. A man can be a “male chauvinist” without his family caring if he has sons or daughters.

• 传宗接代 (chuán zōng jiē dài) - To carry on the family line; the primary justification for son preference.
• 男女平等 (nán nǚ píngděng) - Gender equality; the direct antonym and modern social goal.
• 大男子主义 (dà nánzǐ zhǔyì) - Male chauvinism; a related personal attitude of male superiority.
• 孝顺 (xiàoshùn) - Filial piety; the cultural duty that traditionally fell to sons, making them seem more valuable.
• 光棍 (guānggùn) - “Bare branch”; a bachelor, often one who cannot find a wife. The term's prevalence is a direct result of the gender imbalance caused by 重男轻女.
• 剩女 (shèngnǚ) - “Leftover woman”; an educated, urban woman over 27 who is unmarried, a modern phenomenon with complex ties to traditional expectations.
• 嫁出去的女儿泼出去的水 (jià chūqù de nǚ'ér pō chūqù de shuǐ) - “A daughter married out is like splashed water”; a traditional saying that captures the essence of why daughters were not seen as part of their birth family's future.
• 独生子女 (dúshēngzǐnǚ) - Only child; the One-Child Policy interacting with 重男轻女 dramatically skewed China's demographics.