--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But her greatest assets were her bound…" description: "\"“But her greatest assets were her bound feet, called in Chinese \"three-inch golden lilies\" (san-tsun-gin-lian). This meant she walked \"like a tender yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/jung-chang-9667_binding_but-her-greatest-assets-were-her-bound-f_3196283.jpg" --- # But her greatest assets were her bound feet, called in… ![“But her greatest assets were her bound feet, called in Chinese "three-inch golden lilies" (san-tsun-gin-lian). This meant she walked "like a tender young willow shoot in a spring breeze," as Chinese connoisseurs of women traditionally put it. The sight of a woman teetering on bound feet was…” quote by Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/jung-chang-9667_binding_but-her-greatest-assets-were-her-bound-f_3196283.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/jung-chang-9667_binding_but-her-greatest-assets-were-her-bound-f_3196283.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/jung-chang-9667_binding_but-her-greatest-assets-were-her-bound-f_3196283.jpg) > ““But her greatest assets were her bound feet, called in Chinese "three-inch golden lilies" (san-tsun-gin-lian). This meant she walked "like a tender young willow shoot in a spring breeze," as Chinese connoisseurs of women traditionally put it. The sight of a woman teetering on bound feet was supposed to have an erotic effect on men, partly because her vulnerability induced a feeling of protectiveness in the onlooker.”” [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bound feet were idealized as delicate and erotic, reflecting cultural values that linked vulnerability with protectiveness in men. **In simple terms:** Bound feet symbolized delicate beauty and provoked protective desire. Key Takeaway Question cultural standards that objectify vulnerability. Themes gender culture beauty standards Mood reflective critical Type sociocultural feminist When to use this quote - fashion - media - relationships - education - policy Key Concepts objectification tradition Questions to Reflect On - How do cultural ideals shape gender expectations? - What can be done to challenge harmful beauty norms? A Different Perspective Such standards can perpetuate harmful stereotypes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Binding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/binding/) [Bound Feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bound-feet-647310/) [Feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet/) [Feet Called](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet-called-3029241/) [Feet Supposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet-supposed-5916328/) [Sad but true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad-but-true/) [Walked Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walked-like-351486/) ## Related quotes > [“Are we not to call Christ ours because we have not made him but only received him? Again, if we are the makers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/are-we-not-to-call-christ-ours-because-we-have-not-made-him-but-only/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“Bound feet symbolize torture of women for men’s pleasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-friedman/bound-feet-symbolize-torture-of-women-for-men-s-pleasure/) [S.J. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-friedman/) > [And often it would be a woman who was in her 70s or 80s who would win the beauty contest, because bound feet never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/and-often-it-would-be-a-woman-who-was-in-her-70s-or-80s-who-would-win/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [And one of the interesting things about bound feet is that they never age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/and-one-of-the-interesting-things-about-bound-feet-is-that-they-never/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [Foot-binding is said to have been inspired by a tenth-century court dancer named Yao Niang who bound her feet into the shape of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/foot-binding-is-said-to-have-been-inspired-by-a-tenth-century-court/) [Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/) > [“Oedipus did not remember the thongs that bound his feet; nevertheless the marks they left testified to that doom toward which his feet were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/oedipus-did-not-remember-the-thongs-that-bound-his-feet-nevertheless/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“He walked as he'd learned to walk, with only a minimal limp, back straight, head held high in confidence rather than cockiness. He walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lee-hatcher/he-walked-as-he-d-learned-to-walk-with-only-a-minimal-limp-back/) [Robin Lee Hatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lee-hatcher/) > [Well I'm not dumb, but I can't understand why she walked like a woman, but talked like a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-davies/well-i-m-not-dumb-but-i-can-t-understand-why-she-walked-like-a-woman/) [Ray Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-davies/) > [There was an aura about him (Joe DiMaggio). He walked like no one else walked. He did things so easily. He was immaculate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-rizzuto/there-was-an-aura-about-him-joe-dimaggio-he-walked-like-no-one-else/) [Phil Rizzuto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-rizzuto/) > [“People say they walk on the shoulders of giants. True, but have you ever walked like one?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-telford/people-say-they-walk-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-true-but-have-you/) [Jill Telford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-telford/) > [“He walked like a man half in his cups.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/he-walked-like-a-man-half-in-his-cups/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“On the dark side… No, I was not going to succumb to the dark side. I repeated that mantra and channeled my inner Luke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/on-the-dark-side-no-i-was-not-going-to-succumb-to-the-dark-side-i/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [“Sammi watched him walk toward her. He walked like a predator, a conqueror. A king who ruled and commanded all. He was sex and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-grant/sammi-watched-him-walk-toward-her-he-walked-like-a-predator-a/) [Donna Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-grant/) > [You may have felt nothing when you ignored and walked by me, but it was like a punch to the stomach for me...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-may-have-felt-nothing-when-you-ignored-and-walked-by-me-but-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I cannot believe I walked around like a 550-lb. zombie for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jelly-roll/i-cannot-believe-i-walked-around-like-a-550-lb-zombie-for-years/) [Jelly Roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jelly-roll/) ## More by Jung Chang > [“So the story of Wild Fox Kang’s attempted coup and murder of Cixi lay in darkness and obscurity for nearly a century, until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/so-the-story-of-wild-fox-kang-s-attempted-coup-and-murder-of-cixi-lay/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [My father said he was going to write to the Jinzhou City Party Committee asking for permission to 'talk about love'...My mother supposed it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/my-father-said-he-was-going-to-write-to-the-jinzhou-city-party/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [For anyone to open their heart, they need the right atmosphere, and something to prompt them. For my mother it was her trip abroad:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/for-anyone-to-open-their-heart-they-need-the-right-atmosphere-and/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“Meanwhile, Mme Mao and her cohorts were renewing their efforts to prevent the country from working. In industry, their slogan was: "To stop production…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/meanwhile-mme-mao-and-her-cohorts-were-renewing-their-efforts-to/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“I was extremely curious about the alternatives to the kind of life I had been leading, and my friends and I exchanged rumors and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/i-was-extremely-curious-about-the-alternatives-to-the-kind-of-life-i/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“Unlike most founding dictators—Lenin, Mussolini, Hitler—Mao did not inspire a passionate following through his oratory, or ideological appeal. He simply sought willing recruits among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/unlike-most-founding-dictators-lenin-mussolini-hitler-mao-did-not/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“MAO TSE-TUNG, who for decades held absolute power over the lives of one-quarter of the world’s population, was responsible for well over 70 million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/mao-tse-tung-who-for-decades-held-absolute-power-over-the-lives-of/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“mosquito-netted open windows was an enormous privilege. ‘You must not think you are superior to them,’ he would say. ‘You are just”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/mosquito-netted-open-windows-was-an-enormous-privilege-you-must-not/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [When he asked my grandmother if she would mind being poor, she said she would be happy just to have her daughter and himself:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/when-he-asked-my-grandmother-if-she-would-mind-being-poor-she-said/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“Poverty drove their parents to have them castrated as young children, hoping they would earn a better living at court. Usually the father would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/poverty-drove-their-parents-to-have-them-castrated-as-young-children/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [I was not allowed to take notes but my friend and I memorised those two and a half pages. Most people talked to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/i-was-not-allowed-to-take-notes-but-my-friend-and-i-memorised-those/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [If children were brought up to become non-conformists it would only ruin their lives. So parents all over China who loved their children told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/if-children-were-brought-up-to-become-non-conformists-it-would-only/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“The Manchus drank tea with a lot of milk. In her case, the milk came from the breasts of a nurse. Cixi had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/the-manchus-drank-tea-with-a-lot-of-milk-in-her-case-the-milk-came/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“According to tradition, my great-grandfather married early, at 14, with a woman six years older. It was considered to be one of the duties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/according-to-tradition-my-great-grandfather-married-early-at-14-with/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [“When I heard about the ease with which the Four had been removed, I felt a wave of sadness. How could such a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/when-i-heard-about-the-ease-with-which-the-four-had-been-removed-i/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) [Explore all 67 Jung Chang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) ## More Binding quotes > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“My heart almost vaulted out of my chest. I was snuggled against Ryan’s shoulder. We were burrowed under the cloak and sleeping bag, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-dogra/my-heart-almost-vaulted-out-of-my-chest-i-was-snuggled-against-ryan-s/) [Sam Dogra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-dogra/) > [One thing that Chairman Mao did was to end the appalling foot binding of women. That alone justifies the Mao Tse-tung era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-livingstone/one-thing-that-chairman-mao-did-was-to-end-the-appalling-foot-binding/) [Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-livingstone/) > [The ultimate binding element in the medieval order was subordination to the divine will and its earthly representatives, notably the pope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-babbitt/the-ultimate-binding-element-in-the-medieval-order-was-subordination/) [Irving Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-babbitt/) > [Love is the binding force on every level of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/love-is-the-binding-force-on-every-level-of-existence/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [When I stand in a library where is all the recorded wit of the world, but none of the recording, a mere accumulated, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-i-stand-in-a-library-where-is-all-the-recorded-wit-of-the-world/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [There is one single thread binding my way together...the way of the Master consists in doing one's best...that is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/there-is-one-single-thread-binding-my-way-together-the-way-of-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [The future belongs to social media. It is egalitarian and inclusive. Social media is not about any country, any language, any colour, any community…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-future-belongs-to-social-media-it-is-egalitarian-and-inclusive/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [To regard human beings as tools - as instruments - for the use of other human beings is not only unscientific but it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-korzybski/to-regard-human-beings-as-tools-as-instruments-for-the-use-of-other/) [Alfred Korzybski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-korzybski/) > [To a man who is uncorrupt and properly constituted, woman always remains something of a mystery and a romance. He never interprets her quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-parton/to-a-man-who-is-uncorrupt-and-properly-constituted-woman-always/) [James Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-parton/) > [And priests in black gowns were walking their rounds and binding with briars my joys and desires. (from 'The Garden of Love')](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/and-priests-in-black-gowns-were-walking-their-rounds-and-binding-with/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [There comes not seldom a crisis in the life of men, of nations, and of worlds, when the old forms seem ready to decay,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/there-comes-not-seldom-a-crisis-in-the-life-of-men-of-nations-and-of/) [Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/) > [Christ's commandment to hear the Church . . . is binding on all men, in every period, and every country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xi/christ-s-commandment-to-hear-the-church-is-binding-on-all-men-in/) [Pope Pius XI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xi/) > [Pure love is the best medicine for the modern world. This is what is lacking in all societies. The root cause of all problems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/pure-love-is-the-best-medicine-for-the-modern-world-this-is-what-is/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [Commitment . . . is a binding, but happy, response to duty. It is at once peaceful yet compelling, for it obligates one to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-paramore/commitment-is-a-binding-but-happy-response-to-duty-it-is-at-once/) [James M. Paramore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-paramore/) [Browse all 207 Binding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/binding/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But her greatest assets were her bound feet, called in Chinese \"three-inch golden lilies\" (san-tsun-gin-lian). This meant she walked \"like a tender young willow shoot in a spring breeze,\" as Chinese connoisseurs of women traditionally put it. 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