- English translation
Marry a woman from a good family, even if a humble reed mat is all she owns.
- Literal wording
Take the one of noble origin, even if she is sitting on the straw mat.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying advises a man looking for a wife to give priority to the decent family and good upbringing behind a woman rather than to her wealth. A bride whose household owns nothing more than a simple floor mat, an image of poverty, is still the better choice if she comes from respectable, well-mannered people.
The saying reflects a traditional conviction that character and good stock endure while money comes and goes, treating poverty as a minor drawback and family origin as a marriage's real foundation. Its assumption that inherited standing signals a woman's worth is a premise of the saying, not an established truth, and some modern audiences may find it classist or gendered.
- When it is used
Use it to express the traditional preference for a bride's family background and upbringing over her wealth. The saying treats respectable lineage as a sign of worth and may sound class-conscious or dismissive of a woman's individual qualities.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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