About
The character 笄 refers to a traditional hairpin used in ancient China to secure a topknot or complex hairstyle. Its structure features the bamboo radical 竹 at the top, indicating the material from which such hairpins were typically made, while the component 幵 below serves as a phonetic element. Beyond its literal meaning as a hair ornament, 笄 also denotes a specific cultural coming-of-age ceremony for girls, called "jīlǐ" (笄礼). This rite occurred when a young woman reached fifteen, marking her transition to adulthood and marriageability by formally binding her hair with a pin.
Etymology Hide
