What are Traditional Chinese Outfits Include?

With the revival of traditional culture, traditional Chinese outfits, Hanfu, is also more and more popular. However, there are still many readers who have some confusion about the structure of Hanfu. This article will introduce you to a complete set of structural details of Hanfu.

"Hanfu", in general, refers to the traditional costumes of the Han nationality. It does not just refer to the clothing of the Han Dynasty. The traditional costume of the Han nationality can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty. After the development of the Qin Dynasty, it gradually reached maturity in the Han Dynasty.

Structural details of Chinese outfits

Hanfu contains a complete set of clothing systems, including headwear, clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.

1. Hanfu Headwear (Shoufu, 首服)

Shoufu is the headwear, which is an important part of traditional Chinese outfits. We know that the traditional Han people, both men, and women, should have their hair tied. When men and women grow up, they will wind their hair into a bun and put it on their head, and fix it with a hairpin. The main headdress is Mao (hat, 帽), Jin (scarf, 巾), etc. The headwear of adult men is often Guan (crown, 冠) Bian (弁), Futou (幞头), etc. Of course, there are strict rules for wearing headwear. In the future, the specific wearing way may change, but the hierarchy contained in it is unchanged.

Women's headdress shows diversity, sometimes wearing various accessories on the bun. These jewels are made of gold and exquisite style. It can not only help their appearance but also show their elegant social status and temperament.

2. Hanfu Clothing (Yichang, 衣裳)

A complete set of Hanfu, usually consisting of underwear (内衣), Zhongyi (中衣) and coat (外衣)

Underwear, the introduction of ancient women's underwear, please click "History of Ancient Chinese Underwear".

Zhongyi, which means the clothes inside, is mostly white it's equivalent to today's home clothes or pajamas, please click "What is Chinese Shirt – Hanfu Zhongyi Introduce".

Coat, wear on the outside. According to the occasion, etiquette and service system, it can be divided into Lifu (formal dress, 礼服), Changfu (regular dress, 常服) and Bianfu (casual dress, 便服). The Lifu is suitable for major festivals, ceremonial occasions. Changfu is suitable for daily work and study. Bianfu is daily household casual clothes and work clothes.

• Ling (collar, 领): the part around the neck. Collar types are mainly divided into cross-collar, round collar, straight collar, square collar, vertical collar, and U collar. In order to ensure that the collar is free from dirt, there is also a protective collar, which can be removed and washed directly, which is an unnecessary element;
• Jin (襟): the front part of a garment;
• Jin (衿): connect to the lower half;
• Ju (裾): the front and back of the clothing;
• Mei (袂): sleeve;
• Qu (祛): cuff.

3. Hanfu Shoes (鞋履)

Ancient shoes are called Ju(屦). Ju is the first total name of shoes. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the shoe system was very rich. In this period, the style, workmanship, and decoration of shoes were very sophisticated. The materials, colors, and patterns were also strictly regulated according to the clothing system. When they were combined with clothes and headwear, they formed the early clothing system in China. We will launch a special introduction to Hanfu shoes later. Please look forward to it.

4. Hanfu Clothing accessories (配饰)

The traditional accessories of the Han nationality are also very important. What we are familiar with is Peiyu (佩玉). The so-called "gentleman without reason, jade does not go to the body.".

In addition to Peiyu, there are Bixi(蔽膝, it's a garment that covers the thigh to the knee), Pibo (披帛, put it on the shoulder when using), Xiangnang (香囊, an ancient folk embroidery handicraft, it is a fine powder made of Chinese herbal medicine with a variety of strong aromatic odor.), Jian (sword, 剑) and so on.

Learn more about the Chinese outfits system & a detailed introduction about the Hanfu system by click here.