原文
锦桂女
欧氏女锦桂、连州人，其父绍裕，以女许贾继保，将行而继保卒，锦桂易服奔丧，自矢守节。邻妇劝之，剪发断一指以拒。家贫，手植花果，纺绩自给。有司屡旌其门，以细女红布答之。年八十卒，论者谓妇而守志者，礼因于情。女而守志者，情生于礼。昔王文肃之女昙阳，许字徐氏子，徐早死，昙阳为之缟素。文肃曰：“尔尚未事徐，何以服为。”曰：“隆庆皇帝宾天，士庶哭临，岂皆食君之禄耶。未嫁而可为夫服，则亦可为夫守矣。”嗟夫，女之节也，所以成仁。《易》有节卦，为女之仁者而言；有恒卦，为妇之仁者而言。锦桂、昙阳，其皆女之仁者哉。
白话
中文
欧家的女儿名叫锦桂，是连州人。她的父亲欧绍裕，把女儿许配给了贾继保。婚期将近时贾继保却去世了。锦桂换上丧服为他奔丧，并发誓要为他守节。邻居的妇人劝她改嫁，她就剪掉头发、砍断一根手指来表示拒绝。她家境贫寒，靠自己种植花卉果木、纺纱织布来维持生计。官府多次要表彰她的家门，她都只用细致的女红和布匹来回复（表示推辞或感谢）。她活到八十岁才去世。评论的人说，已经出嫁的妇人守节，其合乎礼仪的行为是源于（夫妻间的）感情；而未出嫁的女子守节，其（看似深厚的）感情反而是产生于（对未婚夫名分的）礼仪规定。从前王文肃（王鏊）的女儿王昙阳，许配给徐家的儿子，徐公子很早就去世了，昙阳为他穿上丧服。王文肃说：“你还没有嫁到徐家去，为什么要穿丧服呢？”昙阳回答说：“隆庆皇帝驾崩时，士人百姓都去哭灵，难道他们都吃过皇帝的俸禄吗？（既然）没过门也可以为未婚夫穿丧服，那么也就可以为未婚夫守节了。”唉，未婚女子的守节，是她们成就仁德的方式。《易经》中有节卦，是为守节的未婚女子（这样有仁德的人）而设的；有恒卦，是为守节的已婚妇人（这样有仁德的人）而设的。锦桂、昙阳，大概都是守节的未婚女子中具有仁德的人吧。
英文
Jin Gui, a daughter of the Ou family, was a native of Lianzhou. Her father, Ou Shaoyu, betrothed her to Jia Jibao. However, just before the wedding, Jia Jibao passed away. Jin Gui changed into mourning clothes, attended his funeral, and vowed to remain chaste for him. When neighboring women advised her to reconsider or remarry, she cut off her hair and severed one of her fingers to demonstrate her refusal. Her family was poor, so she supported herself by planting flowers and fruit trees, spinning, and weaving. Officials repeatedly sought to honor her household (with commendations), but she responded only with fine needlework and cloth (likely signifying humility or declining material reward). She died at the age of eighty. Commentators remarked that when a married woman (widow) maintains chastity, the ritual propriety (Li) stems from emotion/affection (Qing) (between husband and wife). When an unmarried woman (fiancée) maintains chastity, the emotion/affection (Qing) is actually born from ritual propriety (Li) (associated with the betrothal). In the past, Wang Tanyang, daughter of Wang Wensu (Wang Ao), was betrothed to a son of the Xu family. The young Xu died early, and Tanyang wore mourning clothes for him. Wang Wensu asked, "You haven't yet served the Xu family (i.e., formally married), why wear mourning?" She replied, "When Emperor Longqing passed away, officials and commoners mourned him; did they all receive his stipend? If one can wear mourning for a fiancé before marriage, then one can also remain chaste for a fiancé." Alas, the chastity of an unmarried woman is the means by which she achieves benevolence (Ren). The Book of Changes (Yijing) contains the hexagram Jie (Limitation/Articulating), which speaks for the benevolent unmarried woman; it contains the hexagram Heng (Duration/Perseverance), which speaks for the benevolent married woman (wife/widow). Jin Gui and Tanyang are surely examples of benevolent unmarried women.
文化解读/分析
此条目记述了连州女子欧锦桂为未婚夫守节一生的事迹，并引申讨论了“女（未嫁）守志”与“妇（已嫁）守志”的区别与意义，集中体现了儒家伦理中对女性“贞节”观念的极致推崇，特别是将其扩展到婚约阶段。
- “未嫁守节”的极端贞节观：核心事件是锦桂在未婚夫去世后，选择为其“守节”终身。这比一般的寡妇守节更为严苛，因为它发生在实际婚姻关系建立之前。这种行为在当时被视为极高的道德典范。锦桂“剪发断指”以明志，更凸显了其决心之刚烈以及这种观念对个体行为的深刻影响。
- 礼与情的关系辨析：作者（或引述的评论者）提出了一个有趣的观点：“妇而守志者，礼因于情；女而守志者，情生于礼。” 意指寡妇守节是基于与丈夫的实际感情和共同生活经历，符合礼的要求；而未婚女子守节，其（看似深厚的）“情”更多是源于对“礼”（婚约、名分）的坚守，是理性认知而非感性基础的产物。这试图为未婚守节这一看似超越常情的行为提供合理解释，并将其纳入儒家礼教框架。
- 历史先例与理论依据：为了论证未婚守节的合理性和崇高性，作者引用了明代名臣王鏊之女王昙阳的例子，以及她与父亲关于“未嫁从夫”礼仪的辩论。王昙阳以臣民为无俸禄之君哭临类比，论证了未嫁女子为未婚夫守丧、守节的合理性。进一步，作者将《易经》的“节”卦（节制、分寸）附会为象征未嫁女之“仁”，将“恒”卦（恒久、持守）附会为象征已嫁妇之“仁”，为这种贞节观赋予了哲学和经典的依据。
- 官方表彰与社会价值观：“有司屡旌其门”表明官方对这种行为的认可和鼓励。通过表彰（旌表）模范人物，强化社会对贞节特别是未婚守节这一价值观的认同。锦桂“以细女红布答之”则可能体现了其安贫乐道、不慕虚荣的品格，更符合理想的道德形象。
- 个体生存与道德实践：锦桂在贫困中“手植花果，纺绩自给”，体现了其独立维持生计的能力和坚韧。这使得她的守节行为不仅仅是一种被动的道德姿态，也包含了积极面对生活困境的实践层面。
总而言之，“锦桂女”条目通过一个地方女性的极端个案，探讨并颂扬了儒家伦理中对女性贞节的最高要求——未婚守节，并试图从礼、情、历史、哲学等多个角度对其进行合理化与价值提升，反映了清初社会对女性道德规范的严苛标准和复杂论述。
关键词
锦桂, 欧氏女, 连州, 守节, 未嫁守节, 贞节, 贾继保, 旌表, 王昙阳, 王鏊, 礼教, 仁, 易经, 节卦, 恒卦