But despite the consensus in ancient China that nails were important as part of one’s body, some leaders proved their commitment to the realm by sacrificing their nails. This proved they would resort to dishonest means to gain political favor, and the Marquis stayed away from those subordinates in future.īoth men and women from the upper classes, especially literati, grew their nails long as a symbol of wealth: Long nails indicated that their owners did not have to do manual labor. Upon seeing the anxious expression on the Marquis’s face, many of his subordinates cut off their own nails and presented it to the ruler, claiming they had found Zhao’s nail. In one tale recorded in the Hanfeizi, a Qin dynasty (221 – 206 BCE) political and legal text attributed to the philosopher Han Fei, the ruler of the Han state in the Warring States period, Marquis Zhao of Han, tested the honesty of his subordinates by claiming he had lost one of his fingernails and was in a hurry to find it. Though it’s unclear exactly when Chinese gained the habit of growing their nails long, there are stories of the significance of fingernails dating back to the Warring States period (475 – 221 BCE). The Classic of Filial Piety, a compilation of discussions between Confucius and his disciples about filial piety, attributed to Confucius and written in the Spring and Autumn period (770 – 476 BCE), records that “the hair, skin, and body come from one’s parents and we must not harm them this is filial piety.” Portraits of Confucius also often depict the famous thinker with extremely long nails. In ancient China, this was a serious display of affection, as fingernails carried great symbolism.
When contemplating how best to show her beloved the depth of her feelings, the narrator doesn’t resort to love letters or jewelry, but instead gives the most heartfelt gift of all - her well-groomed fingernails, trimmed off and sent to her lover in a delicate silk bag. In “Song in Midnight,” a verse by the female poet Chao Chai of the Tang dynasty (618 – 907), a lonely woman leans by an open window, looks wistfully outside, and longs for the lover she hasn’t seen for an age.
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