Seal Knobs
Seal knobs are the carved decorations on the top of Chinese-style seals. Although in modern times tigers and dragons are most common (at least for sale to tourists) in ancient times there was a wide variety in seal knobs.
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Belt hook knob see: dai gou niu
Bi niu 鼻鈕 Nose knob
Bracelet knob/handle see: chuan niu
Bridge knob see: qiao niu
Camel knob see: tuo niu
Chi hu niu 螭虎鈕 Chi-tiger knob
Chuan niu 釧鈕 Pinyin: chuàn niŭ. Bracelet knob/handle.
Coin knob see: quan niu
Dai gou niu 帶鈎鈕/帶鉤鈕 Pinyin: dài gōu niŭ. Belt hook knob. See also: Gou niu.
Deer knob see: lu niu
Dou niu see: fu dou niu
Dragon knob see: long niu
Elephant knob see: xiang niu
Fish knob see: yu niu
Fu dou niu 覆斗鈕 Upside-down grain measure knob
Gou niu 鉤鈕 Pinyin: gōu niŭ. Hook knob. In the shape of a belt hook. See also: Dai gou niu.
Gui niu 龜鈕 Turtle knob
Hook knob see: gou niu
Horse knob see: ma niu
Hu niu 虎鈕 Pinyin: hŭ niŭ. Tiger knob.
Huan niu 環鈕 Pinyin: huán niŭ. Ring/circle/link knob.
Jue niu 橛鈕 Pinyin: jué niŭ. Peg knob. During the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 CE) the nose knob evolved into the peg knob (without a cord hole).
Kuai niu 塊鈕 Pinyin: kuài niŭ. Block knob.
Lion knob see: shi niu
Long niu 龍鈕 Pinyin: lóng niŭ. Dragon knob.
Lu niu 鹿鈕 Pinyin: lù niŭ. Deer knob.
Ma niu 馬鈕 Horse knob
Nie niu 捏鈕 Pinyin: niē niŭ. Pinch knob [a knob you hold between your fingers].
Niu 鈕 Pinyin: niŭ. Knob, handle. Although seal knobs have sometimes been translated into English in some books as “buttons” (since the word “niu” can also mean a button—in the sense of an on-off switch) this is misleading and shouldn’t be used.
Nose knob see: bi niu
Pavilion knob see: ting niu
Peg knob see: jue niu
Pinch knob see: nie niu
Qiao niu 橋鈕 Bridge knob
Quan niu 泉鈕 Pinyin: quán niŭ. (Historic) coin knob.
Ren xing niu 人形鈕 Pinyin: rén xíng niŭ. Human figure/shaped knob.
She niu 蛇鈕 Pinyin: shé niŭ. Snake knob.
Sheep knob see: yang niu
Shi niu 獅鈕 Pinyin: shī niŭ. Lion knob.
Snake knob see: she niu
Stake knob. Flat bronze seals with a stick-like handle. A practical style for official seals used since the Jin Dynasty (265-420 CE).
Table knob see: tai niu
Tai niu 台鈕 Platform/terrace knob
Tan yin 坛紐 Pinyin: tán niŭ. Altar knob. To increase literacy the mainland Chinese have, since the 1950s, used “simplified” characters. As a result one simplified character may be used for more than one traditional Chinese character. The traditional character 罈, pronounced “tan,” means a jar; the character 壇, also pronounced “tan,” means an altar or raised plot of land. I have used the simplified character in this entry although the “altar/raised plot of land” character should probably properly be used.
Tao yin 套印 Pinyin: tào yìn. Cover-and-covered seal.
Ti liang niu 提梁鈕 Pinyin: tí liáng niŭ. Handle/strap knob.
Tiger knob see: hu niu
Tile knob see: wa niu
Ting niu 亭紐 Pinyin: tíng niŭ. Pavilion knob.
Tuo niu 駝鈕 Pinyin: tuó niŭ. Camel knob. Given to the northern ethnic minorities during the Han, Wei, and Jin Dynasties (206 BCE-581 CE).
Turtle knob see: gui niu
Wa niu 瓦鈕 Tile knob
Xi niu 觿鈕 Pinyin: xī niŭ. A knob in the shape of a traditional bone pick for untying knots (“xi”).
Xiang niu 象鈕 Pinyin: xiàng niŭ. Elephant knob.
Yang niu 羊鈕 Pinyin: yáng niŭ. Sheep knob. Given to the northern ethnic minorities during the Han, Wei, and Jin Dynasties (206 BCE-581 CE).
Yin bi 印鼻 Pinyin: yìn bí. Seal knob or handle, literally: seal nose. See also: yin niu.
Yin bing 印柄 Pinyin: yìn [bing]. Seal handle, an elongated handle on ancient bronze seals.
Yin niu 印鈕 Pinyin: yìn niŭ. Seal decoration, seal knob, literally: seal knob. See also: yin bi.
Yu niu 魚鈕 Fish knob
Zhu niu 柱鈕 Pinyin: zhù niŭ. Post knob.
Zi mu yin 子母印 Pinyin: zì mŭ yìn. “Mother and child seal,” a small seal nested inside a larger one.