Zhiduo (直裰; alternatively: 直掇, 直綴 and 直敠) refers to two traditional Chinese man's robes: casual zhiduo and priests’ zhiduo, in the broad sense.[1] Particularly the former in the narrow sense.[2]
Casual zhiduo
The casual zhiduo was popular among Yuan and Ming dynasties, it could be worn by both scholar-official and the common people, and has several features[1]:
The bottom of robe reaches below the knee
With overlapping collar
A through center back seam runs down the robe
With lateral slit on each lower side
Without hem or lan (襴; a decorative narrow panel encircling the robe, usually held in position below the knee)
The priests’ zhiduo was generally worn by a Mahāyāna or Taoist priest, it had been popular since the Song dynasty, and has another several features[1]:
With loose cuffs
With black borders around the edges of robe
With a lan on the waistline of robe
It is also known as jikitotsu (直綴; じきとつ) in Japan.[3]
Su Shi in zhiduo
A Ming dynasty portrait illustrating a man wearing zhiduo, woman wearing banbi.
Ming dynasty portrait of men wearing zhiduo
Ming dynasty portrait of men wearing zhiduo
Matteo Ricci in zhiduo
