A study of Symbolics of Chinese Liturgical Vestments

중국 제복의 상징성에 관한 연구

This thesis was designed to study Symbolics of Chinese Liturgical Vestments. Chinese who regarded the life of human beings as the combination of heaven and earth considered garments as the traditional product of the movement of nature. Accordingly, they thought human beings are the center of the universe composed by heaven and earth and the chief of all things; therefore man only can utilize clothes to distinguish from all of the colours. This views of clothes led to the development of liturgical vestments esteemed courtesy than anything else, especially the thought of courtesy associated with Conficius who regarded courtesy as the highest things and since then the theory of Five Elements and courtesy were inherited by all the adherents of Conficius. Yin and Yang Five Elements in the liturgical vestments was given absolute symbolics in both formative side and in colourful side. results of research studied in this was can be summed up as follows : 1. The crown of rites was made imitating after the system of head, horn, beard, bread of birds and beasts and that form of crown is front-circ-ular and back-rectangular meant to be towards light and dark. That the upper part of faceplace is black represented the way of heaven and lower part of red symbolized the way of earth. 2. Upper vestment of liturgical rites symbolizes heaven and outskirt represented earth. So front of outskirt is YANG and back is Yin. It is why then are going to harmonize positive and negative making front part three width and back part four width. Therefore, emperor who symbolizes heaven made the subjects recognize high and low and wore Dae-gu(大 ), Kon-bok(袞服), Bel-bok, Chui-bok, and Hyonbok according to the object and position of rites so that he may rule the country based on courtesy. 3. As an accessory of liturgical vestments, Bul, Pae-ok, Su, Dae-dai, Hyok-Dai, Kyu, and Hol were used. Before Bul was used man dressed skirt as the first waist-dress in order to conceal intimate part of the body. Pae-ok, as decoration blended with jade was worn by men of virtue, so men of virtue symbolized morality and virtue by Pae-ok. Su began from Yeok, connected with Pae-su , in Chou-dynasty is said to be originated by practical needs and they are divided into large Su and small su, and maintained as decoration to signify the class positions. Dae-dai did the work as not to loose the liturgical vestments and leather belt hang Bul and Su to begin as the function of practical use are in later years it became decoration to symboliz e the class position. Kyu was a jade used when empeor nominated feudal lords and observe ceremony to God and Hol, was held in hands to record everything not to forget. These Kyu and Hol became to offer courtesy during the time of rites and in later years it became used according to class position rather than practical use. 4. As far as colours are concerned, colours based by five colours according to YIN-YANG Five Elements theory and they were divided into a primary colour and a secondary colours. Primary colours corresponded with the theory of Five Elements each other, Blue, Red, Tellow, White, and Black symbolized ive Elements, five hour space, five directions, and five emperors. Secondary colours contradict with Blue, Red, Yellow, White and Black and another as a primary colour and they are Green, Scaret, Indigo, Violet, Hun colour, Chu colour, and Chi colour. This primary colour was used in liturgical vestments, that is, upper-vestments used black colour. This primary colour was used in liturgical vestments, that is, upper-vestments used black colour as primary colour and outskirt was used Hun colour as secondary colours. Thus symbolism in chinese liturgical vestments mainly began with heaven and earth and corresponded with YIN-YANG Five Elements Scool. They were developed as the scholary theory and Conficius and his followers in the later days and continued up to Min-dynasty.