Shirt

The word “Shirt” is written as "襯衫" in traditional Chinese characters, "衬衫" in simplified Chinese characters, and pronounced as "chènshān" in Chinese pinyin. "衬(chèn)" represents a layer, meaning to sandwich something in between. "衫(shān)" refers to relatively thin upper garment. Therefore, from a linguistic perspective, 衬衫 (chènshān) refers to a relatively thin upper garment worn inside an outer garment.

Modern Chinese people wear shirts similar to those worn by Westerners. However, in ancient China, there were no garments with the same style as modern shirts. Nevertheless, in terms of functionality, the “Zhongyi” can be considered the ancient Chinese equivalent of a shirt.

Zhongyi and modern shirts have similar thickness and are both worn close to the body to provide additional warmth. The difference lies in the fact that in ancient China, zhongyi could not be worn alone outside. When going out, an outer garment had to be worn over it. It could only be worn alone at home, and even then, only in the bedroom; otherwise, it was considered improper according to etiquette. In terms of style, zhongyi did not have a turn-down collar or narrow cuffs like a modern shirt, nor did it have a row of buttons. Instead, the left side was always covering the right side and extending to and tied at the right waist.

In modern times, besides wearing shirts similar to those worn by Westerners, Chinese people also wear Chinese-style shirts that incorporate design elements from ancient Chinese clothing such as Hanfu, Tang suits, and Changshan.