(; see terminology) is a generic term which refers to a two-piece set of attire in , which is typically composed of a (),{ { NoteTag|Yi is typically literally translated as "clothing" nowadays; however, in ancient times, it was used to refer to "upper clothing; see page Ru for more details.}} a Chinese upper garment which typically overlaps and closes on the right side which could be called (), (), (), and a pair of long trousers (). As a form of daily attire, the was mainly worn by people from lower social status in China, such as labourers, shopkeepers, or retainers from wealthy household. The was originally worn by both genders. Up until the mid-20th century, it was popular in China and outside of China where it was worn by overseas Chinese in countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Suriname, etc. It is still worn in present-day China and can be found in rural areas.
Terminology
Shanku is sometimes referred as (), (),, and also known as samfu in English or samfoo (pronunciation: ) in British English following its Cantonese spelling.
The term (), () or () typically refers to the two-piece set of attire composed of an upper garment which is generally above and below the hips and knees and a pair of trousers, which are both made out of coarse cloth and was generally worn by people doing manual labour, such as farm work, and by martial artists.
The generic term (), also called referred as and uses the same Chinese characters (), is typically used to refer to military or riding style attire which is composed of a jacket or coat and trousers. According to the , the coat, (; sometimes referred as ), typically used as part of the , was a (). A () was a with a closure according to the (). The term () also existed, but they were only long enough to cover the knees, which suggest that the other forms of were shorter than knee-length. Although the attire were often times associated with , some of these garment items and styles were in fact Chinese innovations.
English definition
In the English language, is commonly written as samfoo in British English or samfu. According to the Collins English Dictionary, the term samfu (pronounced: ) originated from the combination of the Chinese (Cantonese) words sam (dress) and fu (trousers).
The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary and the Concise Oxford English Dictionary indicate that the term samfu originated in the 1950s from the Cantonese term shaam foò, with shaam meaning 'coat' and foò meaning 'trousers'. Among English dictionaries, there are variations in the definition of samfu. The Collins English Dictionary defines it as being:
The Oxford Learner's Advanced Dictionary defines it as being:
The 12th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines it as being:
Design and construction
The is a two-piece set of attire, which is composed of a jacket as an upper garment and a pair of trousers as a lower garment. More precisely, the is composed of the and the trousers generally known as .
The and the were typically made of similar fabrics. However, the two garments were sometimes made separately and did not belong to the same set of clothing.
Upper garment
The () or () or () or () all refer to Chinese upper garment, which typically has a side fastening to the right, known as .
Prior to the Qing dynasty, the shape of the collar and closure of the upper garment were typically , a collar which crosses or overlaps in the front and closed to the right side similar to the letter y in shape, as the ones worn in the Ming dynasty and earlier, instead of the -style, the curved or slanted overlap closure which appears similar to the letter s, which was commonly worn in the late Qing dynasty. The could have a mandarin collar or a high standing collar.
The could be long-sleeved, short-sleeved, or sleeveless depending on the time period. The sleeves could be wide or narrow, and the shape of the cuff could vary depending on styles and time period.
The bodice of the varied in length depending on the time period, but it could also be thigh-length.
Lower garment
The (), as a general term, was a pair of long trousers which could be loose or narrow. There are many types of with some having closed rises while others have opened rise. Trousers with close rises were typically referred as to differentiate from the which typically referred to trousers without rises.
Fitting
The is traditionally loose in terms of fitting. However, due to the influence of Western fashion, it became more tight fitting in the 1950s and 1960s.