《列女傳》的原始編撰目的在：教導、培養天子對后妃的正確品味，以便適當擇偶，造福家國，本文因此採取婚姻為貫穿全文的軸線，詳細敘述該書的看法，包括婚姻的本質特點、婚姻的目的、婚姻在人倫關係中的位階、婦女在婚姻關係中的責任等課題，以及由這些課題衍生出的特殊觀點，例如：認為婚禮乃聖禮，所有的儀節都不能苟且、內在美與外在美難以並存、婦女面臨人倫關係中衝突時，僅能以自殺解決、不看重婦女能否生育、對「淫」採取極廣泛且嚴格的認定、子不教乃母之過等等。最後並檢視該書的看法是否有禮教吃人的嫌疑。

The Book of Various Women was originally composed with the goal of cultivating the emperor's taste in women, so that the emperor could benefit the state by properly choosing his mates. In light of this understanding, this article focuses on Liu Xiang's understanding of marriage, scrutinizing various ideas presented in the work, such as the nature and the purpose of marriage, the priority of marriage in ethical relations, and women's duties in the marital relationship. This article further discusses notions derived from these specific issues: that marital rites were consecrated and that no ceremonial acts should be neglected; that virtue and physical attractiveness could not coexist; and that women could only commit suicide when facing conflicts in ethical relations. This paper also shows that in the sphere of work women's productivity was largely discounted, that the definition of licentiousness was very broad and standards very strict, and that mothers were responsible for the misdeeds of sons. This article finally examines whether the ideal of ritual propriety expounded in the work can be considered inhumane.