Study on the Character"Xi"in Making Clothes on the Qin Bamboo Slips Housed at Peking University
The text entitled Making Clothes on the Qin bamboo slips housed at Peking University,records the sizes and cutting techniques for making"xi"clothes in the Qin Dynasty.The character"xi"carries special significance in the study of ancient costumes and the"three rites".Therefore,it is necessary to clarify the meaning of the character and assess the value of its usage.This paper sorted out ancient literature and scholars'annotations and interpretations of"xi"and compared them with the features recorded in tomb inventories of Han Dynasty in the same period.The following conclusions can be drawn:the character"xi"has a relatively standardized connotation and usage for clothes,wearing-related actions,and rituals in the Qin and Han Dynasties.In the context of Making Clothes,"xi"refers to a short top without a lower skirt,which is proved by real objects found in the tomb inventories and mentioned in ancient literature.As a noun for clothing,the form,usage and users of"xi"underwent rapid changes from the Qin Dynasty and the early stages of the Western Han Dynasty to the middle and late stages of the Western Han Dynasty."Xi"was used both in sacrificial rites and obsequies.According to the tomb inventories,"xi"clothes recorded in the tomb inventories may refer to pensions distributed by local officials.
Qin bamboo slips housed at Peking UniversityMaking Clothes"xi"tomb inventoriesthree rites
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