About
The character 簪 is a phono-semantic compound for a traditional hairpin used to secure hair or a headdress. Its upper part is the bamboo radical 竹, which places it in the semantic category of bamboo objects, reflecting that hairpins were originally and commonly carved from this material. The lower component 朁 functions solely as the phonetic element, supplying the pronunciation zān without contributing to the object's description. While hairpins later came to be made from jade, gold, bone, and other fine materials, the bamboo radical preserves the memory of their humble origins in daily material culture.
Etymology Hide
