Maedeup
Maedeup · Basic
Dongsimgyeol knot (one-heart / 'same-heart' knot)
동심결매듭同心結dongsimgyeol maedeup
Two interlocked loops meaning 'one heart', the knot that binds Korean wedding papers and wrapping cloths.
- Meaning
- 同心結 'knot of one/same heart' - two hearts bound together.
- Wishes for
- Eternity, pledge and love - marital union. Two forms: 생동심결 (living; with loops on both sides AND small ears at the four corners) for weddings and celebrations; 사동심결 (dead; corner ears absent - tied by flipping a 생동심결 and tying again), used only in funerals (binding the deceased's belongings for burning, tying the shroud), in dark grey or brown. Never use 사동심결 on a celebratory bojagi.
- Cord
- One cord folded in half.
- Used on
- 사주단자 binding (final knot of the blue/red threads), ties of 사주보, 폐백보 and other wedding bojagi, jewellery and hairpin wrappers and boxes, 회갑/진갑 celebration wrapping cloths, bridal palanquin decoration, fan cords and 쾌자 sashes, modern keyrings and bookmarks
- Level
- Easy
Step-by-step instructions for this knot are still to come.
History & tradition
Joseon wedding and funeral custom
The 'one-heart' knot sealed betrothal papers: the 사주 envelope's blue and red threads end in a 동심결. The living form (생동심결, ears at the sides and corners) served celebrations such as 사주단자, jewellery boxes, 60th-birthday cloths and the bridal palanquin; the 'dead' form (사동심결), made by flipping and retying it so the corner ears vanish, was kept for funerals in dark cord.
Used in modern wedding wraps and taught early in maedeup classes; experts stress the live/dead distinction.
Sources for this entry
생쪽매듭saengjjok maedeup