Research on the Origin of Mandarin Squares

摘要

For more than 2000 years, Confucianism has played a vital role in the Chinese culture. With the effect of Confucianism, ideologies of culture have been incorporated in the systems of costumes in early days. And the systems of costumes have been regarded as one of principles for establishing nations. As a part of political ruling principles, official robe system implicates profound political significances. Mandarin squares have been the important materials for researches on official robes in Ming and Qing Dynasty, investigations on the origin would establish very useful basis for researches of official robe system. Although no specific recordations were found in historical materials, investigations on some folk phenomenon provide evidences for researching the origin of mandarin squares. In the paper, the origin is investigated based on ancient literatures and a novel viewpoint is proposed.