In modern people’s minds, modifying the forehead area seems to only involve cutting bangs for covering and adorning. However, in ancient times, there were already various methods, such as applying hua dian (花钿, ornamental face patches), wearing forehead scarves, headbands, or mo’e (a kind of head – binding). Today, let’s talk about “yunbin (云鬓)”, which is made directly from hair. Let’s see how ancient people used their own hair to cover their hairlines.

Ⅰ. What is Yunbin

“Yun (means cloud in Chinses)” symbolizes a soft, floating, and flowing form, often used to metaphorize the grace and changeability of things. “Bin” refers to the hair from the ear area to the temple, which is what we call “sideburns” in modern terms. When combined, “yunbin” specifically refers to the soft and fluffy hair like clouds on both sides of a woman’s temples. It is often mentioned together with “flower – like face” and has become a classic image of a woman’s appearance in classical literature.

In Bai Juyi’s Changhen Ge(《长恨歌》), the line “With cloud – like hair and a flower – like face, and a golden hairpin that sways as she moves, she spends a warm spring night in the hibiscus – patterned bed” describes Yang Guifei(). Her hair, like billowing clouds, sets off the golden hairpin, showing the noble beauty of women in the imperial court of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. In Li Shangyin‘s Untitled (李商隐,《无题》) poem, “In the morning, when I look in the mirror, I only worry that my cloud – like hair has changed; at night, when I chant poems, I should feel the cold moonlight.” Here, “the change of Yun Bin” implicitly implies the passage of time, expressing the sentiment of the fleeting youth. Thinking in this way, the thick yunbin of ancient people should have been regarded as a sign of abundant vitality, youth, and good health.

However, noblewomen could stuff fake hair buns into their hair, while common women could only rely on their own real hair. Looking at the sparse hair of modern people, each strand of hair could even be given its own name. The ones that fall out today could be named Anna, Tony, Lisa, and those tomorrow could be Joy, Steven, Sunny… 😵

Ⅱ. Yunbin Styles

Yunbin was commonly seen in the Song Dynasty and could also be called “cloud – tipped and artfully – shaped forehead”. By curling several strands of hair on the forehead or at the two temples, it creates a layered, cloud – like effect. This not only modifies the hairline on the forehead and at the temples, covering the sideburns, but also shows the gentle and generous style of a woman’s appearance. In The Ballad of Mulan (《木兰辞》), it is written: “Facing the window, she arranges her yunbin; in front of the mirror, she puts on flower – shaped makeup.”

According to the Small Records from the Maple – Window (《枫窗小牍》) in the Song Dynasty, it was recorded that “During the Chongning (崇宁) era, I can still recall that large sideburns and square foreheads were in vogue. Around the Zhenghe – Xuanhe (政和、宣和) period, tightly – tied hair hanging down to the shoulders was popular. After the Xuanhe era, most women wore their hair in the style of ‘cloud – tipped and artfully – shaped foreheads’, with phoenix – shaped hairpins on their sideburns.” From this, we can see that the ancients were really creative with their hair, using the style of “cloud – tipped and artfully – shaped foreheads” to cover their sideburns.

Yunbin got its name because its shape resembles layers of fluffy clouds. It could be decorated with all kinds of hair combs (帘梳). In the Song Dynasty, curtain – like hair combs were quite common. The back of these combs could be carved with intricate patterns or inlaid with pearls and other precious jewels, and sometimes bead curtains were hung from them for added decoration.

In the noble – lady look of Zhang Xinyu (张馨予) in Riverside code at Qingming Festival (《清明上河图密码》), the “yunbin” in classical makeup was skillfully used to conceal the hairline. It looks much more delicate than regular bangs. Instead of harming their hair and skin, the ancients used their hair to create different styles or used hair accessories to raise the height of the top of the head. This was how they adjusted their face shapes.

In the TV series The Five Blessings Descend Upon the House (《五福临门》), the eldest sister and some other characters often wore this kind of hair decoration as well.

Summary

It can be said that in the makeup and hairstyle styles of the Song Dynasty, yunbin not only served to cover the hairline but also appropriately increased the width of the hairstyle, making the face appear smaller. This is exactly the same as the modern technique of creating the illusion of a high – crowned head to enhance facial aesthetics. So, the aesthetic wisdom of the ancients has long been integrated into the daily lives of the Chinese people.