Shui" and “Li" are two terms in The Book of Songs referring to a part of the clothing or some ornament in the pre-Qin period. Because of different interpretations by priests and scholars in the past, their definitions are now quite unclear. Through a study of the context of The Book of Songs and from the perspectives of scholium, phonology and folklore, the author has reached the conclusion that “Shui” means “decorative cloth” and “Li” means the “fastening of decorative cloth”.
