Binyeo

A binyeo (Korean: 비녀; Korean pronunciation: [pi.njʌ̜]) is a Korean traditional hairpin for fixing ladies' chignons. Its main purpose is to pin the chignon in place, but it also serves as ornamentation, and it has different usages or names according to its material or shape. Therefore, it is possible to identify one's social status by looking at their binyeo.^[1] Binyeo are divided into two kinds, a jam (잠; 簪; Korean pronunciation: [tɕam]) and a chae (채; 釵 Korean pronunciation: [tɕʰɛ̝]). Jam have a long body and chae have an upturned 'U' shape. Binyeo are usually used by women, but they are also used by men to fix their sangtu (topknots) in place.^[2]

In the Joseon Dynasty, on the day of becoming an adult, girls held a coming of age ceremony by putting binyeo in their hair. In the ascension myth "Chiwondae Yangsanbok", which is passed down in the Hamgyeong-do area, it also appears as a medium for binyeo to meet the two loved ones.^{[clarification needed][3]}