“旗袍”在英语中有一个固定的词,不过是一个loanword,外来语,写做cheongsam,是从广东话Cantonese里来的。我们也可以拼写为qipao或者chipao:
The cheongsam is a body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women; the male version is the changshan. It is known in Mandarin Chinese as the qipao or chipao, and is also known in English as a mandarin gown.
旗袍是中国一种紧身的连衣女子服饰,男子的被称为长衫。英语中也用mandarin gown来表示这种服饰。
清朝时候的旗装是很宽松的,1900年之后,在上海,旗袍的样式发生了改变:
The modernized version is noted for accentuating the figures of women, and as such was popular as a dress for high society. As Western fashions changed, the basic cheongsam design changed too, introducing high-necked sleeveless dresses, bell-like sleeves, and the black lace frothing at the hem. By the 1940s, cheongsam came in a wide variety of fabrics with an equal variety of accessories.
现代版的旗袍很贴身,更能显出女子的身材,为上流社会的女性所推崇。旗袍的式样也跟随西方时尚而变化,出现了高领无袖、喇叭状袖子和黑色蕾丝泡泡镶边的款式。到上世纪四十年代,旗袍已经有很多种不同材质和配饰。
旗袍和长衫的那种标志性小立领被称为mandarin collar,a short unfolded stand-up collar style,而旗袍的那种盘扣被称为frog,或者Chinese frog,frog在这里不是青蛙的意思哦,意为一种用细绳做的扣饰:
A frog (sometimes referred to as a Chinese frog) is an ornamental braiding for fastening the front of a garment that consists of a button and a loop through which it passes.
盘扣是一种装饰性的编织状扣子,用来扣住一件衣服的前襟。
以下这篇关于中国旗袍的完整介绍内容,应值得你参考:
CHINESE CHEONGSAM (QIPAO)
The cheongsam is a female dress with distinctive Chinese features and enjoys a growing popularity in the international world of high fashion.
The name "cheongsam," meaning simply "long dress," entered the English vocabulary from the dialect of China's Guangdong Province (Cantonese). In other parts of the country including Beijing, however, it is known as "qipao", which has a history behind it.
When the early Manchu rulers came to China proper, they organized certain people, mainly Manchus, into "banners" (qi) and called them "banner people" (qiren), which then became loosely the name of all Manchus. The Manchu women wore normally a one-piece dress which, likewise, came to be called "qipao" or "banner dress." Although the 1911 Revolution toppled the rule of the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty, the female dress survived the political change and, with later improvements, has become the traditional dress for Chinese women.
Easy to slip on and comfortable to wear, the cheongsam fits well the female Chinese figure. Its neck is high, collar closed, and its sleeves may be either short, medium or full length, depending on season and taste. The dress is buttoned on the right side, with a loose chest, a fitting waist, and slits up from the sides, all of which combine to set off the beauty of the female shape.
The cheongsam is not too complicatedto make. Nor does it call for too much material, for there are no accessories like belts, scarves, sashes or frills to go with it.
Another beauty of the cheongsam is that, made of different materials and to varying lengths, they can be worn either on casual or formal occasions. In either case, it creates an impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance and neatness. No wonder it is so much liked by women not only of China but of foreign countries as well.