紱

A suspension cord or ribbon used to attach ornaments, seals, badges of office, or ritual objects. It denotes a finished textile product rather than raw fiber (絲).

Noun: Standard usage, often appearing in lists of regalia or as part of compounds describing official attire. Verb: Rare; may mean "to attach by a cord" in elliptical prose.

Compared to 繩 (shéng), which is a general-purpose rope for binding or measuring, 紱 implies an aesthetic, ceremonial, or official function characterized by its drape. Compared to 紐 (niǔ), which refers specifically to the knot or point of fastening, 紱 refers to the length of the cord itself.

Fanqie reading: 分勿. Often interchangeable with 縕 in classical contexts; both describe decorative tassels or official ribbons without a significant distinction in material or thickness unless explicitly contrasted in the text.

In descriptions of official dress or ritual paraphernalia, pairing this glyph with color descriptors (e.g., red, purple) typically indicates status-marking ribbons. Functionally, it serves as the medium connecting a person, altar, or wall to an object of value.