Tie
One-pull release tie
Ties the cord with a loop so one pull on the end releases it, wishing the couple a life without tangles.
- Meaning
- 'A knot that comes undone in one go' (한 번에 = at once, 풀리는 = coming undone, 매듭 = knot)
- Does
- Used on 함끈 and on the 청홍 threads of 채단: a tie made so a single pull undoes it, wishing that the couple's life 'unties smoothly'.
- Used in
- Wedding-box carrying strap
- 1Pass the cord around the bundle.
- 2Tie the first half-knot.
- 3Instead of pulling the end through, form a loop (bight) and tie with the loop.
- 4Check that pulling the free end releases it completely.
History & tradition
Korean wedding custom (ham preparation); date unknown
When preparing the ham, the blue and red silk parcels (채단) are tied with silk thread of the opposite colour, and the rule is that the thread must not be knotted but tied so it releases in one pull. Wedding-goods writers explain this as a wish that the couple's life runs without knots or obstructions. The ham's carrying strap is likewise twisted cotton without knots.
Still repeated in ham-packing guides from wedding shops; few couples tie it themselves today.
One wedding-silk shop spells the tie 동실결 and says the thread is 'not knotted', which may conflate this release tie with the 동심결. Sources are trade/press pages, not academic.
Researched with medium confidence.