RING    環

ORNAMENT in the form of a PERFECTLY ROUND SMALL STICK, TYPICALLY PRODUCED USING METAL OR JADE.
CIRCLEBANDLOOPHOOPHALODISK
Old Chinese Criteria
1. Huán 環 refers to the jade ring; according to SHUOWEN, radius of the hole in its centre is the same as the breadth of the ring. From Western Zhou to Han times, it was used mainly like a pendant hanged from the belt downward. It was very precious artefact, and could be given as a gift. Later, the term also refers to the circular adornments made of any material; from the Han, there is textual evidence for golden or silver huán 環, and from the same period are known finds of metal fingerrings. 2. Bì 璧 refers to the jade ring which is similar to huán 環, but its breadth is according to SHUOWEN greater than the radius of its central hole. It was used mainly like a pendant in the same way like huán 環. It was also very precious artefact and could be given like a gift. Moreover, and other jade pendants expressed status of its holder in the official hierarchy; but it is highly doubtful whether there was such strict system of sumptuary rules regulating the use of jades as is described in LIJI (according to this text, to each rank in the hierarchy belonged special type of jade). According to LIJI, bì 璧 was also one of the six ritual jades, and was used to worship Heaven; but this is probably only late Warring States or Han speculation. In the end, it should be noted that the circle jade objects with a hole in their centre the were widely used over a huge territory of China already since the 4the and 3rd millenium B.C. till the Han period. Their functions and meanings obviously changed in the course of time, and it is very problematic to divide them into the categories defined mainly in the late Eastern Zhou and Han texts, and interpreted the functions and the meaning of the artefacts on the basis of these texts. 3. Yuàn 瑗 is another kind of a circular jade pendant used in the same way like preceding two. According to SHUOWEN, its breadth should be smaller than the radius of the central hole. 4. Jué 玦 refers to the unclosed jade ring. Artefacts of this type are known already since the Neolithic and their finds cover large territory. These objects could be used in different ways (in many areas probably like earrings, but they were used mainly like pendants cloth pendants by aristocrats in Central China from the Western Zhou till Han times. 5. Chuàn 釧 refers to the armring made usually of metal. It was known already in Han times; there are metal armrings known already from the Han period. 6. Zhuó 鐲 refers to the armband made usually of metal. It was known already in Han times. [7. Tiàn (written like 玉 and 真 ) refers to the jade ear ornament, or more precisely, to the piece of jade which was worn by the aristocrats of the Zhou period in the level of ears hanged down on the string from the hat. [WANG 1993: 261; HUANG 1995: 708 - 709; XIANG 1997: 643; ill.: probably some found in the graves besides the head of the deceased were used in this way: HUANG 1995: 777] 8. Ěr 珥 refers to the ear ornament which was worn by women in Han times. It was hanged down either from the hairpin till the level of the ear, or from dāng 璫 fixed in the ear (see below). [HUANG 1995: 709 - 710; ZGYI 1996: 412; ill.: ZGYI 1996: pp. 411; SUN 1991: pp. 61-13] 9. Dāng 璫 refers to the earring worn by women since Han times. It was made of jade, glass, or fayence, and was fixed in the earlobe. [WANG 1993: 262; HUANG 1995: 709 - 710; ZGYI 1996: 411 - 412; SUN 1991: 247; ill.: SUN 1991: 61-9 - 61-12, 61-26] [JM]
Modern Chinese Criteria
環 戒子環 rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Hyponym
  • JADE RING　RING PRODUCED USING JADE. (anc: 7/0, child: 0)
See also
  • CIRCLEPERFECTLY ROUND FLAT SHAPE.
Hypernym
  • ORNAMENT　ARTEFFACT USED so as to PUT it on something FOR EMBELLISHING this thing. (anc: 5/0, child: 4)
  • ARTEFACT　THING PRODUCED by MAN. (anc: 4/0, child: 26)
  • THING　CONCRETE OBJECT. (anc: 3/0, child: 10)
  • A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages ( BUCK 1988) p. 6.73

  • Verzeichnis und Motivindex der Han-Darstellungen ( FINSTERBUSCH 1966) p. 234

    Ringscheibe:

  • Verzeichnis und Motivindex der Han-Darstellungen ( FINSTERBUSCH 2000) p. 795

    Ringscheibe:

  • Dictionnaire culturel en langue francaise ( REY 2005) p. 1.346

  • Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages ( DE VAAN 2008) p.

    anus 'ring or link' (Pl„ Var.), 'anus' (Cic.+) [m. o] (P1.+)

    Derivatives: dnulus 'ring (for the finger)' (Naev.), anellus 'little ring' (P1.+).

  • 古漢語常用詞同義詞詞典 ( HONG CHENGYU 2009) p. 486

    • Words (12 items)

    環  huán OC: ɡʷraan MC: ɦɣan 8 Attributions

    Huán 環 refers to the jade ring; according to SHUOWEN, radius of the hole in its centre is the same as the breadth of the ring. From Western Zhou to Han times, it was used mainly like a pendant hanged from the belt downward. It was very precious artefact, and could be given as a gift. Later, the term also refers to the circular adornments made of any material; from the Han, there is textual evidence for golden or silver huán 環, and from the same period are known finds of metal fingerrings.

    • 楚文物圖典 Chu wenwu tudian ( CHU 2000) p. {col. tab. 46-2}

    • 漢代の文物 Kandai no bunbutsu ( HAYASHI 1976) p. {pp. 35, tab. 2-157 - 2-158}

    • 古代文化词义集类辨考 ( HUANG 1995) p. 777

    • 古辭辨 Gu ci bian ( WANG FENGYANG 1993) p. 72

    • 中國衣冠服飾大詞典 Zhongguo yiguan fushi da cidian ( ZGYI 1996) p. 420, 464

      Syntactic words
    • nring of jade or of gold in which the radius of the hole in the middle is the same as the breadth of the ring. (In the case of the bì 璧 the diameter is the same.)
    • nfigurative"ring"
    • vtoNcausativecause to look large and round
    棬  quān OC: khron MC: khiɛn 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nring (in the nose of an ox by which to lead it along); ring (used in the construction of very simple hinges)
    玦  jué OC: kʷeed MC: ket 2 Attributions

    Jué 玦 refers to the unclosed jade ring. Artefacts of this type are known already since the Neolithic and their finds cover large territory. These objects could be used in different ways (in many areas probably like earrings, but they were used mainly like pendants cloth pendants by aristocrats in Central China from the Western Zhou till Han times.

    • 楚文物圖典 Chu wenwu tudian ( CHU 2000) p. {col. tab. 49-4}

    • 古代文化词义集类辨考 ( HUANG 1995) p. 777

    • 古辭辨 Gu ci bian ( WANG FENGYANG 1993) p. 72

    • 中國衣冠服飾大詞典 Zhongguo yiguan fushi da cidian ( ZGYI 1996) p. 412, 464

      Syntactic words
    • nincomplete ring, not necessarily of jade
    蟠  pán OC: baan MC: bʷɑn 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • viactform a ring, coil up
    黃  huáng OC: ɡʷaaŋ MC: ɦɑŋ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • nSHI=璜 jade ear-ring
    彄  kōu MC: -- OC: khoo 1 Attribution

      Word relations
    • Assoc: 環/RING Huán 環 refers to the jade ring; according to SHUOWEN, radius of the hole in its centre is the same as the breadth of the ring. From Western Zhou to Han times, it was used mainly like a pendant hanged from the belt downward. It was very precious artefact, and could be given as a gift. Later, the term also refers to the circular adornments made of any material; from the Han, there is textual evidence for golden or silver huán 環, and from the same period are known finds of metal fingerrings.

      Syntactic words
    • nfinger ringCH
    珥  ěr OC: mljɯs MC: ȵɨ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • near-ring, ear ornament
    釧  chuàn OC: khjons MC: tɕhiɛn 0 Attributions

    Chuàn 釧 refers to the armring made usually of metal. It was known already in Han times; there are metal armrings known already from the Han period.

    • 漢代の文物 Kandai no bunbutsu ( HAYASHI 1976) p. {pp. 35, tab. 2-160}

    • 中國衣冠服飾大詞典 Zhongguo yiguan fushi da cidian ( ZGYI 1996) p. 422

      Syntactic words
    • nring
    鐲  zhuó OC: rdooɡ MC: ɖɣɔk 0 Attributions

    Zhuó 鐲 refers to the armband made usually of metal. It was known already in Han times.

    • 中國衣冠服飾大詞典 Zhongguo yiguan fushi da cidian ( ZGYI 1996) p. 425

      Syntactic words
    鐶  huán OC: ɡʷraan MC: ɦɣan 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nmetal ring
    瑗  yuàn OC: ɢʷans MC: ɦiɛn 0 Attributions

    Yuàn 瑗 is another kind of a circular jade pendant used in the same way like preceding two. According to SHUOWEN, its breadth should be smaller than the radius of the central hole.

    • 楚文物圖典 Chu wenwu tudian ( CHU 2000) p. {col. tab.49-1, 2}

    • 古代文化词义集类辨考 ( HUANG 1995) p. 777

    • 古辭辨 Gu ci bian ( WANG FENGYANG 1993) p. 71

    • 中國衣冠服飾大詞典 Zhongguo yiguan fushi da cidian ( ZGYI 1996) p. 465

      Syntactic words
    璧  bì OC: peɡ MC: piɛk 0 Attributions

    Bì 璧 refers to the jade ring which is similar to huán 環, but its breadth is according to SHUOWEN greater than the radius of its central hole. It was used mainly like a pendant in the same way like huán 環. It was also very precious artefact and could be given like a gift. Moreover, and other jade pendants expressed status of its holder in the official hierarchy; but it is highly doubtful whether there was such strict system of sumptuary rules regulating the use of jades as is described in LIJI (according to this text, to each rank in the hierarchy belonged special type of jade). According to LIJI, bì 璧 was also one of the six ritual jades, and was used to worship Heaven; but this is probably only late Warring States or Han speculation. In the end, it should be noted that the circle jade objects with a hole in their centre the were widely used over a huge territory of China already since the 4the and 3rd millenium B.C. till the Han period. Their functions and meanings obviously changed in the course of time, and it is very problematic to divide them into the categories defined mainly in the late Eastern Zhou and Han texts, and interpreted the functions and the meaning of the artefacts on the basis of these texts.

      Syntactic words