cheongsam

/ˈchoŋ-ˌsäm/

Etymology

From Cantonese 長衫／长衫 (coeng4 saam1, “long robe”).

Why this word is great

CHEONGSAM — [Noun] A tight-fitting Chinese formal dress for women, typically brightly colored and embroidered, with a thigh-high slit, also worn as a school uniform or by men in some contexts. From Cantonese 長衫 (coeng4 saam1, "long robe"), reflecting its original unisex design as a long garment. Unlike "qipao" (which carries Mandarin associations of Qing Dynasty Manchu tailoring) or "hanfu" (which evokes the loose, ancient robes of the Han people), the cheongsam is a modern hybrid—both weapon and whisper. It is the electric shimmer of silk catching lamplight in a Hong Kong alley, the precise geometry of a seamstress’s chalk lines on dark brocade, the way a woman’s stride becomes a blade’s edge when the slit parts with each step. A garment that remembers its past as a robe but refuses to be anything less than a revolution.

noun

  1. A tight-fitting Chinese formal woman's dress, usually brightly coloured, patterned and/or embroidered, with a split at the thigh.“France Nuyen, and later Nancy Kwan, sexualized the cheongsam. Though people remember Kwan's movie portrayal of Suzie Wong, before her Nuyen earned fame and plaudits playing the prostitute with a heart of gold on Broadway.”
  2. A plain coloured, tight-fitting dress with a short split at the thigh, worn as a school uniform by schoolgirls.“[C]otton cheongsams are still the uniform at several colleges and secondary schools.”
  3. A long formal dress-like garment or robe worn by Asian men.