Nu Shu: The Secret Language of Chinese Women

Imagine what it would be like if you didn't know how to read this article. How would you feel if you weren't even allowed to learn? What would you do? For hundreds of years, Chinese women were in that exact predicament. With no knowledge of how to read or write, Chinese women crafted their own secret language known as "Nu Shu" whose literal translation is "women's writing." Because of the need for secrecy, not much is known about the language. In fact, the last known fluent died in 2004.

Nu Shu was developed by the women of Jiangyong County in Hunan province located in southern China. It differs from standard Chinese in a couple of ways. Firstly standard Chinese uses a different character for every word, while Nu Shu is phonetic, using a different character for each syllable. For this reason Nu Shu employs only half the amount of characters that "Nan Shu" or "men's writing" does. Both writings move from top to bottom or right to left; however in Nu Shu very thin delicate lines are a sign of good penmanship.

The language was passed from mothers and "sworn sisters." They embroidered songs, poems, and messages on handkerchiefs, belts, and other items of clothing. It was written on rice paper, fans, the palms of hands, and in "third day books." The sworn sisterhood was a tradition in which groups of girls grew up together. Together they would endure foot binding, and they would learn cooking, embroidery, and Nu Shu. The sisterhood would break up once the girls married and moved to their husband's villages. The "third day book" was made for the bride and given on the third day after her wedding. In the first few pages would be messages of love and well wishes for the bride. The rest of the book would become a journal. Nu Shu ensured that the groom couldn't read it. It also ensured that the sisterhood could keep in touch.

The language remained such a well kept secret that it was well into the 1980s before it was discovered. Men were still unaware of its existence. There was also a Japanese movement in the 1930s to stamp it out. They feared the Chinese would use it to send messages in secret. Another factor, which also led to the language's dying out, was the Chinese Revolution. Women were now allowed to read and write, and the popularity of Nu Shu waned. While scholars have begun to study the language, much of its secrets remain a mystery, and many of the characters have been lost forever.