Silk-thread character

絩 is a textile character for counting threads in patterned silk. The Han-era 說文, an early Chinese dictionary, defines it as that thread count; a Han law also uses it in a textile measure. In the character analysis recorded with the entry, 糸 points to thread and 兆 supplies a sound clue.

Later dictionary entries add long silk fabric and five-colour thread. In the 端午 tradition (the Dragon Boat Festival), protective five-colour cords called 五色縷 were worn, and the custom spread from China to Japan. In the same legal passage, 絩 appears alongside 總, a cloth term, and 首, a ribbon measure.