黻
(archaic) embroidery using black and blue thread
Closest English meanings
embroidered motif·official emblem
The Calligrapher — Yú Shìnán 虞世南
Tang court calligrapher revered for refined, restrained regular script.
Tang calligrapher (558–638), master of regular script — Tang master of quiet, inward regular script and teacher to the imperial academy. Tang 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
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 Yú Shìnán 虞世南, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.