<p>Mo provides good source to explain where the phrase 戒指 comes from.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>生子月辰，以<strong>金环</strong>退之；当御者，以<strong>银环</strong>进之，着于左手</p>
<p>事无大小，记以成法，则世俗之名“戒指”者，有自来矣。</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>戒指即戒止</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The interesting thing is 戒指 and 戒止 having exact same sound. (keep this in mind)</p>
<p>The basic logic is: The RING(金环 银环) on concubines' FINGER -&gt; Means 戒止(like Mo said: emperor know coitus wasn't an option) -&gt; 止 and 指 have same sound -&gt; Later generations extended by using 指 to replace 止 to give the RING a name 戒指 instead of using 金环 银环.</p>
<p>戒指, 戒子, 指環 all means ring in general.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-06T22:06:46.903Z
Things weren't too bad for the Emperor, he still had 2999 other wives to visit!
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-06T03:09:25.020Z
2020-08-06T03:24:57.167Z
2020-08-06T03:24:57.167Z
HungYu Chang
<p><a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%88%92%E6%8C%87/393" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baike</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>如《中国古代服饰风俗》中说：“为什么要把指环这种饰物称之为戒指呢？那就要从‘戒’字的含义说起了。明都 《三馀赘笔》记称：‘今世俗用金银为环，置妇人指间，谓之戒指’。按《诗》注：‘古者后妃群妾，以礼进御于君，女史书其日月，授之以环，以进退之。生子月辰，以金环退之；当御者，以银环进之，着于左手；既御者，着于右手。事无大小，记以成法，则世俗之名“戒指”者，有自来矣。’”《现代汉语词名探源词典》中也引用类似上面的一段，并说“嫔妃月经来潮之日，即戴戒指，表明不可与帝王同房。戒指即‘戒止’”。还有《中文大辞典》中的“戒指”、“指环”项，也引用了上述说法。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Apparently, concubines wore a ring when their period came to let the emperor know coitus wasn't an option and this is where the name came from.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-05T22:15:47.520Z
2020-08-05T22:15:47.520Z
Mou某
<p>On a lighter note:</p>
<p>Does 戒 in 戒指 mean: you can stop using your finger now you are married?</p>
<p>With this ring I thee wed.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-05T22:19:11.103Z
A quick Google search reveals that it was used as a sign of "unavailability" of the woman wearing it, see [this](https://m.1688.com/shengyijing/3442822.html), [this](https://www.51only.com/story/31750/) and [this](https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/4360011.html)
blackgreen
<meaning><etymology>
What's the meaning of 戒 in 戒指?
# What's the meaning of 戒 in 戒指?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-08-05)

On a lighter note:

Does 戒 in 戒指 mean: you can stop using your finger now you are married?

With this ring I thee wed.

**Tags:** meaning, etymology
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: A quick Google search reveals that it was used as a sign of "unavailability" of the woman wearing it, see [this](https://m.1688.com/shengyijing/3442822.html), [this](https://www.51only.com/story/31750/) and [this](https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/4360011.html)  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-08-05. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

[Baike](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%88%92%E6%8C%87/393)

> 如《中国古代服饰风俗》中说：“为什么要把指环这种饰物称之为戒指呢？那就要从‘戒’字的含义说起了。明都 《三馀赘笔》记称：‘今世俗用金银为环，置妇人指间，谓之戒指’。按《诗》注：‘古者后妃群妾，以礼进御于君，女史书其日月，授之以环，以进退之。生子月辰，以金环退之；当御者，以银环进之，着于左手；既御者，着于右手。事无大小，记以成法，则世俗之名“戒指”者，有自来矣。’”《现代汉语词名探源词典》中也引用类似上面的一段，并说“嫔妃月经来潮之日，即戴戒指，表明不可与帝王同房。戒指即‘戒止’”。还有《中文大辞典》中的“戒指”、“指环”项，也引用了上述说法。

Apparently, concubines wore a ring when their period came to let the emperor know coitus wasn't an option and this is where the name came from.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-08-06. Score: 1

Mo provides good source to explain where the phrase 戒指 comes from.

> 生子月辰，以**金环**退之；当御者，以**银环**进之，着于左手
>
> 事无大小，记以成法，则世俗之名“戒指”者，有自来矣。

> 戒指即戒止

The interesting thing is 戒指 and 戒止 having exact same sound. (keep this in mind)

The basic logic is: The RING(金环 银环) on concubines' FINGER -> Means 戒止(like Mo said: emperor know coitus wasn't an option) -> 止 and 指 have same sound -> Later generations extended by using 指 to replace 止 to give the RING a name 戒指 instead of using 金环 银环.

戒指, 戒子, 指環 all means ring in general.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Things weren't too bad for the Emperor, he still had 2999 other wives to visit!  

---

