髻
hair rolled up in a bun, topknot
Closest English meanings
hair bun
The Calligrapher — Yán Zhēnqīng 颜真卿
Tang master of robust regular script; co-creator of the enduring 'Yan style'.
Tang calligrapher (709–784), master of regular script/running script — the Tang moral paragon whose upright, muscular regular script became the model of Chinese integrity in writing. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
髻 pairs the hair radical 髟 with 吉 and means a bun—hair twisted and coiled atop the head. In imperial China the bound 髻 marked adulthood, status, and often a woman's married state.
Common words & phrases
- 发髻 hair bun
- 云髻 cloud-like bun
- 挽髻 bun up the hair
Read the story behind the character
髻 is the bun: 发髻 a hair bun worn by dancers and grandmothers alike, 云髻 a cloud-like mound from old love poems, and 挽髻 the act of pinning it up. Brides, yogis, and court ladies all meet this word when hair is gathered and shaped.
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