Zhiduo (clothing)

(viz. : and and ), also known as (; ) when it is decorated with outside pendulums, and (), refers to two types of traditional () or (-structured) which were worn as outer robes by men in the broad sense; i.e. the casual in and the priests’ , in the broad sense. As a specific term, the refers to the former. The was also called by Wang Zhishen in the Ming dynasty although the refers to another kind of . Nowadays, the is sometimes referred as . In present days Taiwan, the is also worn by the Zhenyi Taoist priests. The term "" can also be a specific term which refers to the long black or yellow robe worn by Buddhist monks.

The was also introduced in both Japan and Korea where Chinese Buddhism had been spread. In Japan, the was pronounced . In Korea, the was pronounced as (), and was also referred as the () of the Buddhist monks; the was worn under the Kasaya until the early Joseon period.

Origins and history

The Buddhist monk's was worn as early as the Tang dynasty. After the middle Tang dynasty, the was worn together with the right bare cassock, called (). The term was borrowed from the term Kasaya in China where it became a specific term to refer to a one-piece rectangular robe made out of patchwork. The was typically black in colour in the Han dynasty; purple in the Tang dynasty and turned yellow since the Five dynasties period until now as the colour yellow in Buddhism represents the highest set of values: desire-less-ness, humility, and renunciation. In certain geographical areas, the was also possible for the to be red or brown in colour. In China, there were also regulations established by the Imperial court which regulated the colour of the based on ranks but which could vary depending on the different dynastic period.

The wearing of the together with the eventually became the standard dressing style for Buddhist monks and continued to prevail in the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties with little changes in styles. The custom and practice of wearing over the then spread to Korea and Japan. In present-days, the Tang dynasty-style which is purple in colour still remains popular among the Japanese Buddhist monks.

During the early Qing dynasty, the Qing court issued the policies on the Han Chinese population, which led to the disappearance of most . The was, however, spared from this policy as it was part of the ten exceptions. In the Qing dynasty, the stopped being used and the Buddhist monk's was used alone.

Buddhist robes

When Buddhism was introduced in China during the Han dynasty around 65 AD, the Indian Kasaya was also introduced. The Indian Kasaya was composed of the (). However, the Indian Kasaya was not well-received in China as the Chinese deeply believed in the Confucian concept of propriety; and as a result, any forms of body exposure was perceived as being improper and was associated with barbarians. Being fully clothed is an expression of Chinese clothing culture, and compared to their Indian counterparts, the Chinese did not perceive the exposure of shoulders as a sign of respect. The absence of right shoulder exposure started in northern China in order to shield the body from the cold and to fulfill the Chinese cultural requirements. This change occurred during the Chinese medieval era with the bareness completely disappearing in the Cao Wei period. It appears that shoulder exposure reappeared during the Northern Wei period before being criticized:

The (), also known as in Japan and () in Korea, was a short robe. To create the , the monks combined the Saṃkakṣikā, called (), which is the inner inner garment worn by both the monks and nuns under , with the () of the Buddhist nuns. The was a piece of fabric which covers the right shoulder of Buddhist nuns and was only used by the nuns; it started to be used after some Buddhist nuns suffered harassment by men for wearing right shoulder-exposing clothes.

Initially the Buddhist monks wore the as an upper garment along with a Chinese skirt called (), also called in Japan and () in Korea. In accordance to the philosophy of Confucianism and Taoism, the use of upper and lower garment, , represented the Heaven and Earth which interacts in harmony; this concept appeared early on in ancient China and can be found in the 《》. This style of dress was imitated until the Tang dynasty, when the and were sewn together to form a single long garment. Since the single long garment first appeared when the and were sewn together to form a long robe; this long robe follows the structure of the , and thus follows one of the traditional clothing system in . By the time of the Yuan dynasty, this long robe was termed . The term can also be found in a 1336 monastic code called the 《》, compiled by Dongyang Dehui in 1338 during the Yuan dynasty.

Modern-day Buddhist monks and laity refer to the long Buddhist robe as (). The wearing of these long robes by Buddhist monks is a legacy of the Tang and Song period. In ancient times, the was adopted by the Chan temples.

The originated from the -style worn in the Han and Tang dynasties. During the Tang and Song period, the Indian-style Kasaya went through major changes until they did not have the same style as the original Kasaya anymore. The however maintains some traces of traditional Chinese culture and shows some glimpse of the dress which had been worn by the elites in ancient China. For example, the closure of the which overlaps and closes to the right, a style referred as called , was passed down from the Shang dynasty and at the same time coincides with the Buddhist custom of respecting the right side.

Casual

According to Shen Congwen's 《 – 》, the evolved from the () worn by the ancient monks.

Initially the was mostly worn by monks, but in the Song dynasty and in the subsequent dynasties, it became a form of daily clothing for Han Chinese men. In the Song dynasty, the casual was loose with a central seam at the back; it however lacked slits on its lower part.

Types of

Casual /

The casual was popular among men of the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, it could be worn by both scholar-official and the common people, and has several features:

* The bottom of robe reaches below the knee
* With overlapping collar
* A centre back seam which runs down the robe
* With lateral slit on each lower side
* Without hem or (), which a decorative narrow panel encircling the robe, usually held in position below the knees

File:儒巾_五百罗汉像轴之一_南宋_周季常日本大德寺藏.png, Song dynasty painting of scholars wearing ''zhiduo''.
File:松陰論道圖.jpg, Song dynasty painting of a man wearing ''zhiduo''.
File:Banbi+zhiduo+aoqun.jpg, A Ming dynasty portrait illustrating a man wearing ''zhiduo'', woman wearing '' banbi''.
File:Zhiduo3.jpg, Ming dynasty portrait of men wearing ''zhiduo''
File:Zhiduo4.jpg, Ming dynasty portrait of men wearing ''zhiduo''

Priests’

The priests’ was generally worn by a Mahāyāna or Taoist priest, it had been popular since the Song dynasty, and has another several features:

* With loose cuffs
* With black borders around the edges of robe
* With a ''lan'' on the waistline of robe

The is a style worn by Buddhist monastic and laity who pay homage to the Buddha. It is characterized with wide and loose sleeves, along with wide loose waist and lower hem; these features made them comfortable to wear.

Nowadays, the is typically found into the following colours: black which is the colour worn by most followers of Buddhism when they homage to the Buddha, and yellow which is the colour worn by abbot of a temple or by a monastic who is officiating during a Dharma service. It can also be found in dark blue.

Derivatives and influences

Japan

In Japan, the is known as . It is also known as . The is worn by Japanese Buddhist monks or priests; the robe is typically black or blue. A kesa is worn on top of the .
File:Portrait of a monk-MGR Lyon-IMG 9876.jpg, Portrait of a monk, Japan, 16th century.
File:旧山宗英像-Portrait of Kyūzan Sōei (1605–1656) MET DP231171.jpg, Portrait of Zen master Kyūzan Sōei (1605–1656).

Korea

In Korea, the was known as (), and was also referred as the () of the Buddhist monks. During the Three Kingdoms period, Buddhism was introduced to Korea through China, and the Korean Buddhist monks wore Chinese style Buddhist robes, which is the Chinese-style . The worn by the Korean Buddhist monks was worn as early as the Goryeo period. Up until the early period of Joseon, the which was worn under the kasaya was in the form of the .

There are two types of Buddhist which is worn as monastic robe in present days, the of the Jogye Order and the Taego Order of Buddhism. The of the Jogye Order has structural similarities with the from China whereas the one from the Taego Order is more structurally similar to the traditional , which was a coat without vents, also known as (). The developed in one of the current Korean, long-sleeved Buddhist . A form of present days Buddhist was developed through the combination of the wide sleeves of the with the form of the .

The Buddhist was also adopted as the shaman robe in .

Similar items

* Daopao
* Paofu
* Shenyi

See also

*Han Chinese clothing
* List of Han Chinese clothing

References

{{Types of Han Chinese clothing

Chinese traditional clothing
Buddhist religious clothing