Zuo Qi 49 Days: Mourning Pins, Wufu Grades, and the Chinese Mourning Period Explained

What Zuo Qi Means and Why It Lasts 49 Days

Zuo qi (做七) is the 49-day mourning cycle that follows a Chinese funeral. The number is not arbitrary — it comes from the convergence of Buddhist and Taoist cosmology.

In Buddhist belief, the soul enters an intermediate state (bardo) after death, where it experiences a symbolic "awakening" every seven days as the courts of the underworld determine its rebirth destination. Seven cycles of seven days equals 49.

In Taoist belief, a human possesses "three souls and seven spirits" (san hun qi po). One spirit disperses every seven days after death until all seven are released after 49 days, at which point the soul's transition is complete.

During each seven-day interval, the family performs prayers and places food offerings to transfer merit and sustain the soul through its journey. Arrange the weekly observances with the family's elders or ritual specialist.

The Seven Qiqi Weeks

Each seventh day has a name and significance:

1. Tou qi (头七) — Day 7. The soul returns home for a final visit. Families prepare a meal, dust the floor with powder to detect spiritual footprints, and retire to their bedrooms to avoid being seen.
2. Er qi — Day 14. Prayers continue.
3. San qi — Day 21. Prayers continue.
4. Si qi — Day 28. Prayers continue.
5. Wu qi (五七) — Day 35. Traditionally the responsibility of married daughters — historically because travel distances prevented daughters from returning every week. Modern families share this duty equally among all children.
6. Liu qi — Day 42. Prayers continue.
7. Qi qi (七七) — Day 49. The final seventh-day observance, marking the end of the 49-day cycle.

After the 49th day, a 100-day memorial marks the formal end of the strictest mourning observances.

Wufu: The Five Grades of Mourning

The wufu (五服) system is a Confucian mourning hierarchy that dictates how long and how intensely each family member mourns, based on their genealogical relationship to the deceased. Originally codified in the Book of Rites, the five grades prescribe different mourning garments, durations, and behavioral restrictions.

The grades, from most to least intense:

In modern practice, most families do not observe the full durations. The wufu system survives primarily in two forms: the selection of mourning pin colors (see below) and the degree of behavioral restriction during the mourning period (children of the deceased are expected to avoid celebrations and weddings longer than distant relatives).

Mourning Pins: Colors and Placement

During the funeral and the mourning period, descendants wear colored pins (xiao) on their sleeves to publicly identify their relationship to the deceased.

Placement rule: the pin goes on the left arm if the deceased was male, the right arm if the deceased was female.

Color hierarchy:

• Black or white — children of the deceased (first-degree mourning)
• Blue — grandchildren
• Green or light blue — great-grandchildren

The pin stays on for either 49 or 100 days, depending on family tradition and the mourner's grade in the wufu hierarchy. Removing it before the designated period ends is considered disrespectful.

Some families distribute small strips of colored cloth instead of pins, which are sewn or safety-pinned to the sleeve. The funeral director typically prepares the correct colors and distributes them before the wake begins.

Mourning Garment Expectations

Beyond pins, mourning garment expectations during the 49-to-100-day period include:

• Hair-cutting taboo: Direct descendants traditionally refrain from cutting their hair or shaving for 49 to 100 days. This deliberate neglect of personal grooming is a physical expression of grief — appearance becomes secondary to mourning.
• Color restrictions: Dark, muted clothing is expected. Bright colors — especially red — are avoided, as red symbolizes celebration and joy.
• Activity restrictions: Children of the deceased traditionally avoid attending weddings, birthday celebrations, and other festive events during the mourning period.

These expectations soften in diaspora communities and modern urban settings, but they remain meaningful to elder family members and extended relatives. When in doubt, err on the side of observance — wearing subdued clothing and the correct pin color costs nothing and avoids offending relatives who take the traditions seriously.

Tracking the 49 Days Without Losing Count

The practical challenge of zuo qi is not theological but logistical: keeping track of seven weekly prayer dates, coordinating offerings, booking monks or priests for each session, and ensuring the right family members are present for the right weeks (especially wu qi, which traditionally falls to married daughters).

The Traditional Chinese Funeral & Ancestor Veneration guide includes a printable 49-day prayer schedule with date columns, offering checklists, and the wufu-based mourning pin reference, so the entire family knows who wears what, who leads which week, and what offerings are needed at each interval.