Fuzhou people have four levels of addressing women: Yimei, Yisao, Yimu, and Yipo. In the past, people paid great attention to the appropriate terms for different categories of women. A mistake could lead to being scorned or even cursed. For example, if you call a Yisao a Yimu, or a Yimu a Yipo, you would be calling someone "old," which is sure to cause dissatisfaction. Among these, the most taboo is mistakenly calling a Yimei a Yisao.

If such an error occurs, one can be scolded but cannot retaliate. In the past, whether a woman was married or unmarried could be determined by her hairstyle. Let's not talk about earlier times; just take the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China as examples. Married women wore buns, while unmarried girls had braids, which were widely accepted customs. Those with buns were respectfully called Yisao, and those with braids were called Yimei. The distinction was clear, and it was easy to tell who was who, so no one would make a mistake. However, sometimes due to the girl's own carelessness, misunderstandings could occur. It is said that once, an unmarried girl, because it was too hot in summer, tied her braid on top of her head and secured it with a hairpin. While sitting outside cooling off, a passing man asked her, "Yisao! How to get to Nantai..." Upon hearing this, the girl blushed and stared angrily at the man, then untied the braid on her head. Seeing this, the man immediately said, "Sorry, sorry!" and ran away red-faced.

By the 1920s and 1930s, married women gradually changed their hairstyles from buns to fashionable permed hair. On the day before marriage, a girl would go to a hairdresser with her friends or relatives to get her hair permed. After getting it done, when she walked on the street, both acquaintances and strangers could tell she was about to become a bride. During this period, the distinction between Yisao and Yimei based on hairstyle was still clear, and people could address them correctly based on their hair.

It is unclear when it started, but by the age of 17 or 18, many unmarried girls also began to perm their hair. Meanwhile, some married women (Yisao) still kept their braids. Today, the variety and beautification of women's hairstyles have made women in our era more beautiful. It has become increasingly difficult to distinguish Yisao and Yimei based solely on their hair styles.