Buzi
- Chinese: 補子 (bǔzi)
Buzi, also known as chest badges, rank badges, or mandarin squares, were embroidered squares worn on the robes of scholar-officials in Ming and Qing Dynasty China, indicating the wearer's court rank. Such badges were also worn by officials in Joseon Dynasty Korea, where they were known as hyungbae,[1] and in the Ryûkyû Kingdom, up until 1663, when they were abandoned in favor of a system of colored court caps.[2]
Badges for civil officials typically featured a pair of birds, one in flight and one on the ground. This represented the yin-yang dualism present in all things, including the dualisms of masculine and feminine, and of civil and martial. The symbols ranged from the noblest of birds, a pair of cranes soaring above the clouds, on the badge of a First Rank official, down to ground-pecking quails or orioles on the badges of officials of the Ninth Rank.
Military officials' buzi bore images of animals or mythological beasts, such as lions, bears, panthers, or qilin. A select few officials bore badges featuring images of flying fish or a python, indicating a status above First Rank. Finally, Imperial Censors wore badges bearing images of the xiezhi, a mythical creature said to be able to smell lies, or immorality.
References
- Ray Huang, 1587: A Year of No Significance, Yale University Press (1981), 53-54.
