巾帼不让须眉 （jīn guó bú rang xū méi）

巾帼 ancient women head dress

巾帼不让须眉: women not yield to moustache (men)

Toward the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty, barbarians neighboring the Han Nation became stronger. They often invaded the Central Plains of the Han nation. The court had to conscript an army.

A young woman named Hua Mulan had liked horseback riding and archery since she was a child. One day Mulan’s aged and weak father was drafted into the defense militia. Worried her father couldn’t handle military service, Mulan came up with a plan. She disguised herself as a young man and went to war in her father’s place. She remained in the army for twelve years and won many military honors. Her fellow soldiers never knew that she was a woman. They greatly respected Mulan’s courage. After the war, the emperor summoned all the officers and soldiers who made great contributions in defeating the invaders and granted each of them a promotion. But Mulan told the emperor that she did not want to be promoted. All she wanted was a good horse to carry her home immediately. The emperor granted her request. When she reached her home, she took off her armor and put on her lady’s dress. The fellow soldiers who had accompanied her home were shocked. They praised Mulan, saying “巾帼不让须眉 – Women could do men’s work just as well as men”.