原文

割股妇

　　有李昌期妻者何氏，东莞人，乡贡士何汉臣女也。舅姑有疾，刲股炼糜以进，疾寻愈，乡人嘉异之。夫逝，守节三十年乃卒。宋咸淳十年，邑令袁梦册为立孝妇坊。景炎二年，旌表门闾，赐束帛。元初，重建孝节坊。永嘉梅时举曰：昌黎尝辩鄠人旌门为非礼。呜呼，人有不爱其身，起亲疾于垂死，乃以不孝律之，俾与好勇斗狠同科，为善者惧矣。仲尼曰：有杀身以成仁，亲亲仁也。苟可报罔极之深恩，缓终天之钜痛，虽生有所不爱，于尺寸之肤何爱焉。捐父母生我之身以还父母，一念之烈，虽通神明感天地可也。如虑其因毁灭性，则自古皆有死，鲜闻以刲股死者。不惟不死，父母疾鲜不因以瘳者，天且弗违，而况于人乎，旌之宜也。抑又有说，子事父母，妇事舅姑，一也。父子之合以天，自襁褓已知有父母，至亲也。夫妇之合以人，笄而嫁始知有舅姑，由疏而亲也。事至亲而不自爱其体肤，非人情所难。由疏而亲，虽体肤不敢爱，此人情之至难也。唐房玄龄妻剔目，五代李氏断臂，此各为夫尔。史尚夸诩为奇节，如何氏为舅姑刲股，当进于房、李一等，不谓之孝可乎。夫逝时，世方澒洞，何守志坚厉，尝装遣族女之孤者，倾囊笥，捐簪珥，绝无靳色。是不惟知有孝，且知有节与义者也。呜呼，贤哉。

白话

中文

有一位李昌期的妻子何氏，是东莞人，乡贡士何汉臣的女儿。她的公公婆婆生病了，她就割下自己大腿上的肉，煮成肉糜给他们吃，公婆的病不久就好了，乡里的人都称赞她，认为这很了不起。丈夫去世后，她守寡了三十年才去世。宋朝咸淳十年（公元1274年），县令袁梦册为她建立了“孝妇坊”。景炎二年（公元1277年），朝廷表彰她的家门，赏赐了成捆的丝帛。元朝初年，又重建了“孝节坊”。永嘉人梅时举评论说：韩愈（昌黎）曾经辩论过，认为表彰鄠县人（割股疗亲的行为）是不合礼法的。唉，有人不爱惜自己的身体，使垂死的亲人病情好转，却要用“不孝”的罪名来衡量她，让她和逞勇斗狠的人同罪，这会让行善的人感到害怕啊。孔子说：有牺牲自己生命来成就仁德的，爱自己的亲人就是仁。如果能够报答父母无限深厚的恩情，缓解他们临终的巨大痛苦，即使是生命也可以不爱惜，又何况是一点点的皮肉呢？把父母给予我的身体（的一部分）捐献出来还给父母，这一念之间的刚烈，即使是感动神明、感动天地也是可能的。如果担心这样做会因为毁伤身体而丧失生命，那么自古以来人都会死，却很少听说有因为割股而死的。不但不会死，而且父母的病很少不因此而痊愈的，上天尚且不违背（这种孝行），何况是人呢？表彰她是应该的。而且还有一种说法，儿子侍奉父母，媳妇侍奉公婆，道理是一样的。父子关系是天性决定的，从婴儿时期就知道有父母，这是最亲近的关系。夫妻关系是人为结合的，女子成年出嫁后才知道有公婆，这是从疏远到亲近的关系。侍奉最亲近的人而不爱惜自己的身体，这不是人之常情难以做到的。从疏远的关系变为亲近，（为了公婆）即使是自己的身体也不敢爱惜，这才是人之常情中最难能可贵的。唐代房玄龄的妻子（为了丈夫）剜瞎了自己的眼睛，五代时有位李氏（为了丈夫）砍断了自己的手臂，这些都只是为了丈夫而已。史书尚且夸赞她们是奇特的节行，像何氏这样为了公婆而割股，（其德行）应当比房氏、李氏更高一等，能不称之为孝吗？丈夫去世时，世道正混乱不堪，何氏守节的志向坚定不移，曾经拿出自己的积蓄、捐出自己的簪子耳环，资助遣送同族中的孤女，一点也没有吝啬的神色。这说明她不仅懂得孝道，而且还懂得节操和义理啊。唉，真是贤德啊！

英文

There was the wife of Li Changqi, née He, a native of Dongguan and daughter of the local degree holder He Hanchen. When her father-in-law and mother-in-law fell ill, she cut flesh from her own thigh, cooked it into a paste, and served it to them. Their illness soon healed, and the villagers praised her, considering it extraordinary. After her husband passed away, she remained a chaste widow for thirty years before her death. In the tenth year of the Xianchun era of the Song Dynasty (1274 CE), the county magistrate Yuan Mengce erected a "Filial Wife Arch" in her honor. In the second year of the Jingyan era (1277 CE), her household was officially commended, and she was awarded bolts of silk. In the early Yuan Dynasty, the "Filial Piety and Chastity Arch" was rebuilt. Mei Shiju of Yongjia commented: Han Yu (Changli) once argued that commending the people of Hu County (for cutting their flesh to heal relatives) was contrary to propriety. Alas, when someone disregards their own body to cure a relative on the brink of death, yet they are judged by the standard of unfilial conduct, making them equivalent to reckless brawlers, this would certainly frighten those who wish to do good. Confucius said: "There are those who sacrifice their lives to achieve benevolence," and loving one's relatives is benevolence. If one can repay the boundless, profound kindness of parents and alleviate their immense pain near death, even life itself might not be cherished, let alone a small piece of flesh. To return the body given by parents (in part) back to the parents, such intensity of a single thought could even move spirits and touch Heaven and Earth. If one worries about losing one's life due to self-harm, well, everyone dies eventually since ancient times, but it is rarely heard that someone died from cutting their thigh. Not only do they not die, but the parents' illness seldom fails to heal because of it. Heaven itself does not go against (such filial piety), let alone humans. Commending her is appropriate. Furthermore, there is another point: a son serving his parents and a daughter-in-law serving her parents-in-law are fundamentally the same. The bond between father and son is determined by nature; one knows one's parents from infancy, representing the closest relationship. The marital bond is formed by human arrangement; a woman only knows her parents-in-law after marrying upon reaching adulthood, developing from distant to close. Serving one's closest kin without cherishing one's own body is not beyond human sentiment. But developing from a distant relationship to a close one, and still not daring to cherish one's own body (for the parents-in-law), this is the most difficult thing according to human sentiment. Lady Fang, wife of Fang Xuanling in the Tang Dynasty, gouged out her eye; a Lady Li in the Five Dynasties cut off her arm – these were done for their husbands. History still praises them as extraordinary acts of virtue. Since Lady He cut her thigh for her parents-in-law, her virtue should be considered a level above Lady Fang and Lady Li. How could it not be called filial piety? When her husband died, the world was in turmoil, yet Lady He's resolve to remain chaste was firm. She once provided for orphaned girls of her clan, emptying her coffers and donating her hairpins and earrings without any sign of reluctance. This shows she understood not only filial piety (xiao) but also chastity (jie) and righteousness (yi). Alas, how virtuous!

文化解读/分析

此条目记述了东莞孝妇何氏“割股疗亲”并守节终身的事迹，并引述了梅时举对此类行为的辩护与高度评价，集中反映了中国传统社会，特别是宋元明清时期，对于“孝”与“节”这两种核心伦理价值的极度推崇，以及围绕这些价值所产生的复杂社会现象和伦理讨论。

1. “割股疗亲”的文化意涵：“割股”是一种极端的“孝”行表达。在传统观念中，身体发肤受之父母，不敢毁伤是孝的开始，但为了拯救父母（或公婆）的生命，割舍自己的皮肉被视为一种至高无上的牺牲和孝心体现。何氏的行为被乡人“嘉异”，并得到官方“立坊”、“旌表”，表明这种行为在当时社会受到普遍认可乃至鼓励。
2. 孝道的延伸与强化：梅时举的论述特别强调了媳妇对公婆尽孝的难度和价值。他认为媳妇与公婆的关系始于“人合”，由疏至亲，其为公婆割股比子女为父母割股更难能可贵，将其置于比历史上传颂的为丈夫伤身的烈女（房玄龄妻、李氏）更高的道德层级。这反映了儒家伦理对女性“妇道”的要求，即将对公婆的孝顺视为与对亲生父母同等甚至要求更高的责任。
3. 官方旌表与社会教化：从县令立“孝妇坊”到朝廷“旌表门闾”，再到元代重建“孝节坊”，体现了官方利用表彰模范人物来推行儒家伦理、进行社会教化的手段。这种旌表制度旨在树立榜样，引导社会风气，巩固以孝、节为核心的社会秩序。
4. 伦理辩论与价值观：梅时举引用孔子“杀身成仁”和“亲亲仁也”，反驳韩愈认为割股“非礼”的观点，将割股行为合理化、神圣化，认为其能“通神明感天地”，且有“天且弗违”的效验。这代表了当时社会上一部分人对此类极端行为的辩护逻辑，即将个人身体的牺牲视为实践最高道德（仁、孝）的途径，并相信其具有超自然的感应力量。
5. “节”与“义”的复合价值：何氏不仅因“孝”闻名，其在丈夫死后“守节三十年”并倾其所有救济族人孤女的行为，又体现了“节”（贞洁）和“义”（道义、责任感）。官方最终以“孝节坊”命名，正是对其孝、节双全的高度肯定。这展示了传统社会对理想女性品德的复合要求。

总而言之，“割股妇”条目不仅记录了一个地方性的感人（或在现代看来惊悚）故事，更是一个窗口，让我们得以窥见传统中国社会围绕“孝”、“节”等核心伦理构建的复杂价值体系、社会规范、官方态度以及相关的伦理思辨。

关键词

割股疗亲, 孝, 孝妇, 何氏, 东莞, 李昌期, 旌表, 孝妇坊, 孝节坊, 守节, 贞节, 梅时举, 韩愈, 儒家伦理, 公婆, 舅姑, 妇道, 义