LIFE / CULTURE
Learning Chinese
Published: Jul 12, 2022 06:19 PM
Chat attack

mulberry silk / 桑蚕丝/ (sānɡcánsī)

A: I heard that you are a fan of Chinese clothing. How about you tell me your favorite item of  ancient clothing?  

听说你是中国服饰爱好者,你最喜欢哪件古代服饰呢?

(tīnɡshuō nǐshì zhōnɡɡuó fúshì àihǎozhě, nǐ zuìxǐhuān nǎjiàn ɡǔdài fúshì ne?)

B: Have you ever heard about the plain gauze gown that was excavated from the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220) Mawangdui tomb in Changsha, Hunan Province? This ancient clothing is very mystical and beautiful. 

你听说过从湖南长沙马王堆汉墓出土的素纱襌衣吗?这件古代服饰既神秘, 又美丽。

(nǐ tīnɡshuō ɡuò cónɡ húnán chánɡshā mǎwánɡduī hànmù chūtǔ de sùshā dānyī ma?zhèjiàn ɡǔdài fúshì jì shénmì yòu měilì.) 

A: Nope, how about you introduce it to me?

没有,你给我介绍一下吧。

(méiyǒu, nǐ ɡěiwǒ jièshào yīxià bā.)

B: This ancient clothing was made of using mulberry silk. It is the world's oldest and lightest extant garment. It only weighs 49 grams. After folding it up, you could fit it into a matchbox. 

这件古代服饰是用桑蚕丝制成的,它是世界上现存年代最早、最轻薄的一件衣服,仅重49克,折叠后甚至可以放入火柴盒中。

(zhèjiàn ɡǔdài fúshì shì yònɡ sānɡcánsī zhìchénɡ de, tā shì shìjièshànɡ xiàncún niándài zuìzǎo,zuì qīnɡbáo de yījiàn yīfú, jǐnzhònɡ sìshíjiǔ kè, zhédié hòu shènzhì kěyǐ fànɡrù huǒcháihé zhōnɡ.)

A: It sounds amazing. Although I've never seen this precious item, but I know that mulberry silk is made from natural animal protein fibers.

太神奇了。虽然我没见过这件宝物,但我知道桑蚕丝是天然的动物蛋白质纤维制成的。

(tài shénqí le.suīrán wǒ méijiànɡuò zhèjiàn bǎowù, dàn wǒ zhīdào sānɡcánsī shì tiānrán de dònɡwù dànbáizhì xiānwéi zhìchénɡ de.)
Illustrations:Liu Xidan/GT

Illustrations:Liu Xidan/GT