旗袍的英文

若問什麼是最具中國特色的傳統服裝，我想許多人都同意非旗袍莫屬 (此乃周璇之照片，摘自網路)。

第一次知道旗袍的英文是 cheongsam 時，內心覺得十分困惑，因為 cheongsam 是廣東話 "長衫" 的音譯，而長衫就是長袍，一般是男士穿的，怎麼英文錯把馮京當馬凉，把男用的長衫誤以為是女用的旗袍？不過語言多的是積非成是的例子，只要大家同意，約定俗成實屬常態。

根據最大、最權威的《牛津英語詞典》(The Oxford English Dictionary) 所載，cheongsam 這個字眼大約在 1950 年代首度進入英語。牛津以降，各中大型的英語詞典均有收錄，連規模較小的學習詞典 (learner's dictionary) 也榜上有名：

cheongsam /tʃɒŋˈsæm ˈtʃɔŋˌsɑm/ noun [countable]
a tight silk dress with a high neck, short sleeves, and a SLIT (=long narrow space) on each side by the leg that is worn by Chinese and Indonesian women [按：印尼人也穿嗎？]

—Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, Second Edition (2007)

我最近發現，源自國語、以漢語拼音轉寫的 qipao 首度由 2010 年推出的線上版《牛津英語詞典》(The Oxford English Dictionary Online) 所收，所附的 4 條書證 (quotation) 中，有 2 條用的是傳統威妥瑪式 (Wade-Giles) 的 chipao。

至此，旗袍的英文 cheongsam、qipao 共存，若以英語版的 Google 作簡單查證 (2011/5/11 下午 4 點)，cheongsam 在數量上仍居上風，有 135 萬筆資料，qipao 尚不及一半，有 57 萬筆，而 chipao 只有微不足道的 4 萬筆。將來 cheongsam 和 qipao 的消長，我們就密切觀察吧。

qipao, n.

Pronunciation: Brit. /'tʃiːpaʊ/ , U.S. /'tʃi paʊ/
Inflections: Plural unchanged, -s.
Forms:
α. 19– chipao, 19– chi pao, 19– ch'i-p'ao, 19– chi pau.
β. 19– qipao, 19– qi pao.

Etymology: < Chinese qí páo (Wade-Giles transcription ch'i p'ao), lit. 'banner dress' < qí banner + páo gown.
The dress was so called with reference to the Manchu people who ruled China during the Qing dynasty: they were organized into groups designated by different coloured banners, and consequently the term qí rén ‘bannermen’ became a way to refer to Manchus. The one-piece garment was characteristic of Manchu dress, as distinct from the two-piece styles used by Han Chinese women.

A type of dress traditionally worn by Chinese women, typically having a high mandarin collar, a split skirt, and a fitted bodice with an asymmetrical closure extending from the neck to the right underarm; = CHEONGSAM n.

1965 Washington Post 15 Aug. F4/3 'I knew all about your life here before I even came,' said the Taiwanese, dressed in the dress of Chinese women, the Chipao.
1984 N.Y. Times 30 Jan. A2/3 When she struts about the stage.., her tight-fitting Chinese 'qipao', slit to the hip, flares open to reveal slender legs.
1992 Straits Times (Singapore) (Nexis) 20 Oct. 9 During a break, Madam Fu changes quickly into a navy blue qipao tastefully complemented with a peach apron.
2001 A. Tan Bonesetter's Daughter (2002) 61 Little-girl time, she want my chipao dress, want my melon fruit, want everybody attention.