Language: Manchu
Source: Classical literature
Turu
Description
The Manchu word for "saber lanyard". It's the wrist strap that helps secure the saber to the wrist.1
They are usually made of silk, tied together with string or in a ball knot.
Turu is listed in Jerry Norman as "a belt for carrying a saber" but judging from this 1766 source, this is incorrect. 2
For a complete overview of Manchu saber terms, see: A Manchu saber glossary.
Original xìzi on a fine Qing imperial saber. Sold by Mandarin Mansion in 2018.
A simple xìzi on a Qing bannerman saber.
Officer Sainku. Imperial Guard of the 3rd class. Baturu. Notice the lanyard wrapped firmly around his hand.
Ethnological Museum of Hamburg.
References
1. Wuti Qingwen Jian (五體清文鑑) or "Five languages compendium", a Qing imperial dictionary in Manchu, Mongolian, Uighur, Tibetan and Chinese of 1766.
2. Jerry Norman; Concise Manchu-English Lexicon, University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1978.
