---
node: garment_zhiju
type: garment
slug: zhiju
title: "Zhiju"
lead: "The zhiju is the straight-hem form of the deep robe, in which the lower edge falls squarely rather than winding across the body. It became the common robe of the Han dynasty, and the famous plain-gauze robe from Mawangdui is a zhiju."
published: 2026-08-09
updated: 2026-08-09
image_file: zhiju.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E7%9B%B4%E8%A3%BE%E7%B4%A0%E7%BA%B1%E8%A5%8C%E8%A1%A3,_2018-09-28.jpg"
image_author: "Siyuwj"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

A zhiju robe joins top and skirt like any shenyi but finishes with a straight vertical front edge, so it is simpler to cut and wear than the curved-hem quju. Its clean lines suited both formal and everyday use.

## How it is worn

It is wrapped left over right and belted, the straight front hanging down the side of the body rather than spiralling around it. Men and women wore it, often over an inner robe, across the Han centuries.

## History

The zhiju spread in the Western Han and largely replaced the curved-hem quju by the Eastern Han, as changes in underclothing made the winding front unnecessary. The near-weightless silk-gauze zhiju excavated at Mawangdui shows how fine Han weaving had become.