Hairpin character

A hairpin or hair stick that secures hair or a crown.

It can name the pointed ornament or the act of putting one in. Archaeological evidence places hairpins in Shang and Zhou tombs; an older Chinese dictionary, 《说文解字》, links 簪 to 兂, a head hairpin, and treats 簪 as its bamboo-form variant.

Why could a hairpin signal status?

A hairpin could secure a bun and signal status or adulthood. A commentary on the Book of Rites (《礼记》), an early Chinese ritual text, describes 笄 as a related pin used to secure a bun; its hairpin ceremony marked a girl's passage into adult status. Decorated pins were major women's ornaments in the Han period. In clothing from the Ming and Qing dynasties, material, craft, number, and design could signal rank or ethnic identity.

Poetry used the pin as a sign of dignity and propriety; taking it off could signal submission or punishment. Jade and purple hairpins could also become tokens of identity and love in romantic literature.

What does 簪 mean in Japanese?

In Japanese, 簪 names a traditional hair ornament called かんざし. Japan took up continental hairpin culture, then gave it a distinct history: adoption in the Nara period, retreat in the Heian period, and revival in the Edo period alongside elaborate hairstyles. Kanzashi can be traditional, ceremonial, or fashion accessories.

Mandarin pinyin writes the Chinese reading as zān, with a high, level first tone. The same character leads to different spoken words and ornament traditions; the surrounding language and phrase settle which one is meant.