Hello, I see that you posts a lot of hair ornaments, there are no name for each? I couldn't tell what's the difference between hairpin, hairstick and hairpiece. I noticed that you also it called a "hairpiece"? So do these 2 characters (簪子) mean hairpin, hairstick, or hairpiece? I think (簪) is a hairpin? But what if there's this (子) at the end of the (簪)? What does it call? It would be very appreciate if there's an answer to my question! Thank you very much! XD
Hi, thanks for the question!
Traditional Chinese hair ornaments definitely each have their own name, but I usually don’t tag them individually because it would be too much work ^^;; The posts on my blog also tend to use hairpin, hairstick, and hairpiece interchangeably. The Chinese umbrella term for hair ornaments is Fa Shi/发饰. For detailed information on the different types of Chinese hair ornaments, I highly recommend the following resources: 1) Introduction to Traditional Chinese Hair Ornaments, 2) Categories of Traditional Chinese Hair Accessories, 3) Tradition of China — Hair Ornament Culture, 4) Ten Best Hanfu Jewelry Accessories.
To make things easier to understand, I’ve compiled the information from the above sources to create a list of 5 basic Chinese hair ornament definitions, to go along with the image below (via):
1) Zan/簪 (aka Zan Zi/簪子, Fa Zan/发簪) - The most basic/common type of Chinese hairpin, typically used to stabilize hair. Usually decorated at one end. Also called Zan Zi/簪子 or Fa Zan/发簪 - don’t get confused, they mean the exact same thing. The characters Zi/子 and Fa/发 (hair) are often attached after and before the characters for hair ornaments, respectively (x):
2) Chai/钗 (aka Fa Chai/发钗) - Basically a two-pronged Zan. Unlike the Zan which has just one pin/stick, the Chai has two. Noted for being a symbol of love - in ancient times, when lovers were separated, they would split a Chai with each person keeping half, and combine the pieces when they were reunited (x):
3) Bu Yao/步摇 - Basically a Zan or Chai with mobile attachments (pendants, tassels, fringes) that swing when the wearer walks. Hence the name Bu/步 (walk) 摇/Yao (shake). Often worn in pairs (x):
4) Dian/钿 (aka Hua Dian/花钿) - A small hair ornament shaped like a flower (Hua/花) that is pinned to the hair for decoration (can also take other shapes). Does not have the long pin/stick(s) of Zan and Chai (x):
5) Bi/篦 (aka Bi Zi/篦子) - A fine comb that was originally used to comb and clean hair. Women would bring a comb with them everywhere they went, and eventually started to put Bi on their hair as a means of decoration. Note - this is the hair ornament that Mulan wears in the Disney film! (x):
Now of course there are many more types of Chinese hair ornaments, but these are some of the most basic ones. I may update this list in the future. Again, for further information, please check out the links I listed above. You can also check out my hair ornaments tag, hairpin tag, and Q&A Masterpost for more resources.
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