Lào zi (original) (raw)

Lào zi (simplified Chinese: 络子; traditional Chinese: 絡子), also called Tāo zi (Chinese: 绦子), is an ancient appellation for knots in China. In ancient Chinese literature, the Lào zi actually refers to what is now known as zhongguo jie (simplified Chinese: 中国结; traditional Chinese: 中國結; Hanyu Pinyin: zhōngguó jié; Tongyong Pinyin: li; lit. 'Chinese knots') in Chinese and Chinese knotting in English. The term "Chinese knotting" only became known in recent years when it was summarized by Lydia Chen in the 1980s. It was a tradition to use the lào and/or tāo as a form of (lit. 'waist girdle ornament') in Hanfu where it was tied to the waist by using silk or cotton ribbon.