Four Beauties
The Four Beauties or Four Great Beauties are four Chinese women, renowned for their beauty. These were Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan, and Yang Guifei. The scarcity of historical records concerning them meant that much of what is known of them today has been greatly embellished by legend. They all were said to have in some manner caught the attention of a ruling king or emperor in their respective eras. 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:- Xi Shi, said to be so entrancingly beautiful that fish would forget how to swim and sink below the surface upon seeing her reflection in the water. Xi Shi's hometown is Zhuji, Zhejiang Province. Zhuji was the capital of the Ancient Yue Kingdom. Goujian, the King of Yue Kingdom, endured ten years hardship to accomplish his ambition to beat Fuchai, the King of Wu Kingdom. Xi Shi was part of his plan. Despite the fact that Xi Shi was in love with Fan Li, Goujian sent Xi Shi as a gift to Fuchai who was dazzled by her beauty and fell in love with her. Fuchai lost his fighting will after he met Xi Shi, spending all his time entertaining Xi Shi. Partially due to this, Goujian eventually defeated Fuchai.
- Wang Zhaojun, said to be so beautiful that her appearance would entice birds in flight to fall from the sky.
- Diaochan, said to be so luminously lovely that the moon itself would shy away in embarrassment when compared to her face.
- Yang Guifei, said to have a face that puts all flowers to shame.
Idiom
| Chinese | English |
| :zh:西施|西施沉魚 :zh:王昭君|昭君落雁 :zh:貂蝉|貂蟬閉月 :zh:楊貴妃|貴妃羞花 | Xi Shi sinks fish Wang Zhaojun entices birds into falling Diaochan eclipses the moon Yang Guifei shames flowers |
These separate idioms are sometimes merged to describe especially beautiful women or simply to refer to the Four Beauties' legendary good looks. The merged idiom is 沉魚落雁, 閉月羞花 ; the two parts can also be used separately.