<p>The earliest reference i can make is a chapter "Nei Ze" in a book "Liji" (See <a href="http://ctext.org/liji/nei-ze" rel="nofollow">http://ctext.org/liji/nei-ze</a>). The word "sitting the month" has been replaced by "the month of confinement", "坐月子" by "月辰". </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-04T17:40:24.823Z
2015-10-04T17:40:24.823Z
Chu Wa Tim Tim
<p>Sitting the month is a tradition since the Western Han Dynasty, people think women's menstrual blood and the body after childbirth is unclean. It can angered deities and bring disease and disaster, so mothers can not leave before the child is a full month out of the delivery room. Now sitting the month is treated as a necessary measure to recover from the childbirth.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-04T13:15:27.187Z
Do you have any sources?
Ringil
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-04T11:39:40.853Z
2015-10-04T11:39:40.853Z
Hanlin Wang
<p>I've recently learned about the practice of 坐月子 or <code>sitting the month</code> where a woman secludes herself for around a month following a pregnancy. The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/02/business/international/china-confinement-care-for-new-mothers-now-27000-a-month.html?_r=0" rel="nofollow">articles</a> I've <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/07/20/138536998/for-chinese-moms-birth-means-30-days-in-pajamas" rel="nofollow">read</a> indicate that this practice has been around quite a while.</p>

<p>I'm curious as to when this expression first came into use and if there are many historical precedents for it.</p>

<etymology><expressions>
Origin of the term "Sitting the Month"
# Origin of the term "Sitting the Month"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-10-03)

I've recently learned about the practice of 坐月子 or `sitting the month` where a woman secludes herself for around a month following a pregnancy. The [articles](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/02/business/international/china-confinement-care-for-new-mothers-now-27000-a-month.html?_r=0) I've [read](http://www.npr.org/2011/07/20/138536998/for-chinese-moms-birth-means-30-days-in-pajamas) indicate that this practice has been around quite a while.

I'm curious as to when this expression first came into use and if there are many historical precedents for it.

**Tags:** etymology, expressions

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2015-10-04. Score: 1

The earliest reference i can make is a chapter "Nei Ze" in a book "Liji" (See <http://ctext.org/liji/nei-ze>). The word "sitting the month" has been replaced by "the month of confinement", "坐月子" by "月辰".


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### Answer by username_2 on 2015-10-04. Score: 0

Sitting the month is a tradition since the Western Han Dynasty, people think women's menstrual blood and the body after childbirth is unclean. It can angered deities and bring disease and disaster, so mothers can not leave before the child is a full month out of the delivery room. Now sitting the month is treated as a necessary measure to recover from the childbirth.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Do you have any sources?  

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