(), also called (), is an ancient appellation for
knots in
China.
In ancient Chinese literature, the actually refers to what is now known as () in Chinese and
Chinese knotting in English. The term "
Chinese knotting
Chinese knotting, also known as () and decorative knots in non-Chinese cultures, is a decorative handcraft art that began as a form of Chinese folk art in the Tang and Song dynasty (960–1279 CE) in China. This form of craft originated and w ...
" only became known in recent years when it was summarized by Lydia Chen in the 1980s. It was a tradition to use the and/or as a form of () in where it was tied to the waist by using silk or cotton ribbon.
Etymology
The meaning of the two terms and are quite similar.
The Chinese character for 《》in traditional Chinese and《》in simplified Chinese, is a specific term which refers to knotting, enmeshing, and wrapping.
The Chinese character for 《》refers to the lace or flat ribbon woven from silk thread which can used to decorate clothing.
Usage
According to ''
Dream of the Red Chamber
''Dream of the Red Chamber'' (''Honglou Meng'') or ''The Story of the Stone'' (''Shitou Ji'') is a novel composed by Cao Xueqin in the middle of the 18th century. One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, it is known fo ...
'', making means making knots that can be used on waist as knotting belt; the could also be as decorative knots with tassel hanging for small object or furnishing (similar to the used in the ). As a form of knot-craft, it could be used to knot a net sachet for containing small objects.
The knot at the waist by ribbon can be seen from many artworks especially in the
beauty painting and ancient literature description recorded that the tradition of knot ribbon can be traced back
Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 76 BCE), for example in the chapter 《》of the 《》, the tradition of tying ribbon as knots to the belt is recorded.
Gallery
File:夜坐.jpeg, alt=
File:Konghou from silk painting by Qiu Ying, "Spring Morning in the Han Palace".jpg
See also
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Chinese knotting
Chinese knotting, also known as () and decorative knots in non-Chinese cultures, is a decorative handcraft art that began as a form of Chinese folk art in the Tang and Song dynasty (960–1279 CE) in China. This form of craft originated and w ...
*
Frog (fastening)
(), also called () or () in China, are referred as knots, Chinese frog closures and decorative toggles in English language, is a type of ornamental braiding closure made out of cord, consisting of a button (oftentimes a Chinese button knot fo ...
– a fastener which originated from China and is now typically used in
cheongsam
''Cheongsam'' (, ), also known as the ''qipao'' () and sometimes referred to as the mandarin gown, is a Chinese dress worn by women which takes inspiration from the , the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people. The cheongsam is most often s ...
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Hanfu accessories
Hanfu accessories () refers to the various form of fashion accessories and self-adornments used and worn with throughout Chinese history. consists of many forms of miscellaneous accessories, such as Jewellery, jewelries, (), ribbons, shawls, sca ...
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References
{{reflist
Arts in China
Chinese folk art
Decorative knots
Hanfu