The most famous unlovely woman in China is a fabled one -- Dong Shi.
It was told by Zhuangzi – a Daoist philosopher who lived around 400 BC. He challenged Confucius' concepts of feudal laws and proprieties and contended that Confucius abided by laws and proprieties of the former Zhou dynasty that were unsuited to the current time and rule. He believed that conventions should be adapted to their times, as failure to do so would be as ridiculous as boating on land or dressing a monkey.
The story of Dong Shi is an example Zhuangzi gave to back up his argument, demonstrating that what made Dong Shi grotesque was not primarily her visage but her crude imitation. As time passed, the philosopher's reasoning on rule of state fell into oblivion, but his story of Dong Shi evolved into the household fable, a warning to people not to ape others.
Mencius is quoted as saying more than 2,000 years ago: ‘A rich and splendid spirit is beautiful.’ This opinion coincides with modern aesthetics. Real beauty exudes from the inner rather than the superficial self, and can stand the test of time.
Below is the fable told by Zhuangzi.
Xi Shi, a famous beauty, had a pain in her bosom, so she had a frown on her face when she went out.
An ugly girl who lived nearby saw her and thought she looked very beautiful. Therefore when she went home, she also put her hands on her bosom and had a frown on her face.
When a rich man in the neighbourhood saw her, he shut his doors tightly and did not go out. When a poor man saw her, he took his wife and children and gave her a wide berth.
The ugly lady only knew Xi Shi's frown looked beautiful but she did not know the reason for its beauty.
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最不令人喜爱的一个中国女人是一个寓言中的人物东施。
这是一个大约生活于公元前四世纪的道家哲学家庄子所说的寓言。庄子挑战孔子的封建法律与礼仪的概念，而认为孔子所尊赞的前朝周代的法律与礼仪并不适用于当时的时代与执政。他相信习俗应随时代而改变，不然，就好像路上行舟或为猴子穿衣那样荒谬。
以东施为例来支持他的论点，显示使东施丑怪的并不是她的容貌，而是肤浅的模仿。随着时间的过去，哲学家有关治理国家的理论已被遗忘，可是他的故事却成为家户喻晓的寓言，警劝人们不要一味模仿他人。
孟子就被引用在两千年前说过，‘充实谓之美’。这个说法与现代美学观点相符合。真正的美来自内心而不是表面的我，它能经历得起时间的考验。
下面是庄子所说的寓言。
西施病心而颦。
其里之丑人，见而美之，归亦捧心而颦。
其里之富人见之，坚闭门而不出；贫人见之，挈妻子而去之走。
彼知颦美，而不知颦之所以美。
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