黻 calligraphy

黻

(archaic) embroidery using black and blue thread

Closest English meanings

embroidered motif·official emblem

The Calligrapher — Wú Dàchéng 吴大澂

Qing scholar-official famed for refined seal script.

Qing calligrapher (), master of seal script — known for 金文书法家. Qing dynasty

Cultural Story

黻 is one of the twelve imperial emblems, the black-and-azure motif of two facing hooks, a phono-semantic compound from the black radical with the sound 弗. Woven on a ruler's robe, it signaled clear discernment and right conduct. The 黻衣 was the embroidered garment of rank and virtue.

Common words & phrases

  • 黻黼 embroidered insignia
  • 黻衣 embroidered robe

Read the story behind the character

In the modern world

The 黻黼 (embroidered insignia) and 黻衣 (embroidered robe) survive in museum textiles and costume design for period films. Scholars of ritual dress study 黻 as a badge of office, and modern embroiderers reproduce its paired hooks on replicas of court robes for exhibitions and collectors.

Own this character

Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Wú Dàchéng 吴大澂, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.