Ping An Kou Meaning: The Chinese Peace Buckle and Its History

A Ping An Kou, or "peace buckle", is a flat, round disc with a hole at its centre, usually worn as a pendant. The name combines píng'ān, "peace and safety", with kòu, "buckle", and the design is a modern descendant of one of the oldest forms in Chinese art: the jade bi disc.

From bi disc to peace buckle

Jade bi, flat discs with a central hole, were made in China from the Neolithic period onwards and placed in elite tombs; their original meaning is still debated. The Henan Museum, among others, traces the lineage from these ancient discs to later ornaments. The peace buckle keeps the same basic form, a disc with a round hole, at a much smaller, wearable scale.

A modern name

"Peace buckle" is a comparatively recent name for this ornament, popularised in the modern jade trade. The wish it expresses, for peace and safe keeping, is a traditional one; the label is newer than the form.

Circle and centre

The form invites symbolic readings, and modern descriptions often talk of completeness, continuity and protection. Those are reasonable interpretations of a circular ornament rather than a meaning fixed in ancient sources.

Not only jade

Traditional peace buckles are carved from jade, but the name now covers the form in many materials, from metal to enamel. A peace buckle design refers to the shape and its wish, not to any particular stone.

The peace buckle in jewellery

AURYN's peace-buckle design translates the disc into a pair of oval hoop earrings, a contemporary reading of the form rather than a carved jade pendant. Take a look at the AURYN Peace Buckle earrings, or read our guide to Chinese auspicious symbols.