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Shu (comb)

梳

shu

A toothed comb, often of jade, bone or wood, worn in the hair as ornament as well as used for grooming. Carved jade combs appear from the Shang period.

Not equivalent to

English “hairpin” covers several distinct Chinese forms. A shu (comb) is not interchangeable with other types.

Worn at
hair
Requires piercing
No
Objects in catalogue
4

How to tell it apart

A comb has a tooth row. A hairpin has a shaft. Some combs were purely ornamental and never used for grooming, which is why they survive in rich burials.

Other types in this category

Objects of this type

Jadeite comb, qing dynasty, 3.3 cm high.

Shu (comb)

Comb

Qing DynastyJadeite, emerald-green with patches of light lavender

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jade (nephrite) and cinnabar comb, shang and zhou dynasties, 7.6 cm high.

Shu (comb)

Comb

Shang and Zhou DynastiesJade (nephrite) with traces of cinnabar

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Silver comb, song, liao, jin and yuan dynasties, 5.1 cm high.

Shu (comb)

Comb

Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan DynastiesSilver

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jade (nephrite) and gold comb, qin and han dynasties, 5.1 cm high.

Shu (comb)

Comb

Qin and Han DynastiesJade (nephrite) and gold

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sources