ancient oriental belt ornament
Historical term for a type of belt or sash ornament used in ancient East Asia, often associated with ceremonial or official attire. Not used in modern everyday language.
In ancient China, the 佩 was an ornament that indicated social status.
counter for swords
Only when written 佩
Archaic counter used specifically for swords, restricted to the kanji 佩. Found only in historical texts.
In old documents, 佩 was a counter for swords.
wearing a sword; sword one is wearing
wearing a sword
thigh guards (worn underneath armor)
wearing (an insignia, sword, etc.)
deep gratitude; heartfelt appreciation
Historical kanji for an ancient belt ornament or sword counter. Rare in modern Japanese.
Variant kanji for the same historical belt ornament. Even less common than 佩.
The kanji 佩 originally depicted a person wearing an ornament at the waist, later extended to mean 'to wear at the waist' and, by association, a belt ornament. The counter use for swords derives from the practice of wearing swords at the waist. The variant 珮 is a specialized character for jade ornaments.