According to Gu Jin Tu Shu Ji Cheng (an encyclopedic reference work compiled in the Qing dynasty), the number of women commended grew from only 200 in the Song dynasty to 36,000 in the Ming.
根據《古今圖書集成》的記載，烈女節婦從宋朝的兩百多人，到明朝驟增為三萬六千人。